


The Deepest and Darkest

by Yeleli_tilki



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blackmail, Boys In Love, M/M, Rape, Rape Recovery, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-09-13 06:06:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 34
Words: 48,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9109891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yeleli_tilki/pseuds/Yeleli_tilki
Summary: Robert’s world comes crumbling down when a dark secret he has kept all his life is used as blackmail material by a man willing to cross the most taboo of boundaries to get what he wants. Will Aaron be there when Robert needs him most?





	1. CHAPTER I

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so just a warning if you're reading this- it's going to a dark place, a really dark place. That being said, I like happy endings and I love Robron so rest assured that if you read this work all the way through, the couple will finish off together and even stronger than before. 
> 
> Also, I'm going to be besmirching the name of an old Emmerdale character so apologies to anyone who is upset about that.

CHAPTER I

Hatred. Disgust. That’s what he read on Aaron’s face. It was strange that now, after he had just divulged at least part of the darkest, most well kept secret of his life to the man he loved, he was going to lose him. Ironic how, after the plethora of lies he had told, the truth would be what ruined him. He could only stare open-mouthed at Aaron, attempting to think of a way to prove the man he loved that he wasn’t lying.

* * * *

Robert was day-dreaming, only half listening to the middle-aged man in front of him drone on about his recent business dealings in London. That’s why he didn’t notice the man’s voice grow husky as he changed the subject of their conversation to what he would need in order for him to agree to invest with Robert and Nicola’s company. He was brought sharply back to reality as the man began to run a hand up his thigh under the table. 

Robert lurched to his feet, his chair clattering backwards onto the floor, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at his potential investor with new understanding. His voice came out stiff, but polite. 

“I’m engaged. Happily engaged. So, while I’m flattered, I’m afraid that you won’t be getting anything of that sort from me.” 

The man’s expression changed from one of carnal expectation to one of barely controlled rage. He spoke quietly, a threat in his voice.

“That’s too bad now isn’t it? I suppose I’ll have to withdraw my investment. Not only that, but such a rude refusal suggests that you don’t understand just how much damage I could do if I invested with your competitors. If you don’t sit back down right now and reconsider my offer,” the man hissed, his words a menacing whisper, “I will make a call that will bankrupt you.”

Robert’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing, as he leaned forward his hands splayed on the tabletop. 

“Do your worst. We’ll see who wants your dirty money, with strings like that attached.” Robert stood up and turned to leave, not looking back over his shoulder, but stopping long enough to say in his most threatening, velvet-soft voice, “Oh, and go fuck yourself.”

He strode from the restaurant, his hackles raised at the threats. He bowled over a few drunken pedestrians on the way to his car, but was too angry to stop and help them back to their feet. He slammed his door as he got into his car and pounded his hands furiously on the steering wheel. And then the anger abruptly faded and he leaned back wearily in his seat, closing his eyes and letting out a ragged breath.

Why him? Why did this always happen to him? He swallowed back the lump in his throat as bad memories clawed their way to the surface and began flashing one after another like a horror movie in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes against the images, forcing himself to take deep breaths and think of something else, something good.

Aaron.

Aaron was good. He was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He was kind and honest and Robert loved him like he had never loved anyone before. He was the only one Robert wanted. And he had no idea what Robert dealt with on a daily basis from lowlifes like the one he had just left in the restaurant: the constant haranguing, the unwanted touches, the propositioning. But those were all minor inconveniences compared to what came after: stalking, repeated late night phone calls, breaking and entering… sexual assault.

He had dealt with attracting unwanted affections all his life, starting at a young age, and he had learned far too early and harshly that not everyone took no for an answer. He had it drilled into his head as bad experience after bad experience begun to pile up. 

No one in Emmerdale knew what he’d been through. No one understood why he was the way he was. But after having his feelings and wants trampled on by so many people over and over again, he had learned to put himself first, to not worry about crossing lines. Other people didn’t. And following arbitrary ethical rules just made it easier for the people willing to break those rules to take advantage, to victimize. Robert was tired of being a victim.

He shook himself, abruptly putting an end to his pity party. He wasn’t one for wallowing or dwelling on past wrongs. His life was good now and one asshole feeling him up under a table was hardly worth getting worked up about. He started his engine and pulled out, aiming his car towards home.

* * * *

Aaron felt like his head was going to explode. “Liv!” He finally yelled, cutting her off mid-rant. “We’re not using you’re money to buy a new place. End of discussion. Robert and I will figure something out. That’s your money. I don’t want any part of it.” He came off a bit strong he realized too late, as a glassy-eyed Liv spun around and ran up the stairs to her room. “Liv—“ He tried to call her back, giving up at the sound of her door slamming.

He ran a hand over his face roughly. Being responsible for a teenager was the most difficult thing he had ever done, he found himself thinking. The sound of Robert banging in through the door had him immediately revising that thought. Okay so maybe he had dealt with some things more difficult than teenagers…

Robert came in, his coat and scarf still on, looking a great deal more frazzled than usual. After looking up and noticing Aaron’s raised eyebrow and questioning look he glanced down to see his car keys still clutched in his hand instead of left in their usual spot: the bowl by the door. He spun back around and Aaron heard the distinct rustling of a coat being taken off and hung up as well as the clinking of keys being dropped into a bowl. Robert returned to the kitchen, then, sighing as he fell heavily into the chair next to Aaron’s. 

Aaron’s brow furrowed slightly. “Rob? What’s up?” 

Robert shook his head, not meeting Aaron’s eyes. “Nothing. The deal with the new investor didn’t work out is all.” He crinkled his nose as if he had smelled something rotten, looking at Aaron now. “Nicola’s going to be a nightmare tomorrow.”

Aaron smiled sympathetically, rubbing Robert’s arm comfortingly. “Want to trade? I’ll deal with Nicola tomorrow if you deal with Liv.” 

Robert snorted. “What’s she done now?”

Aaron pulled his hand back, wishing he hadn’t brought it up now. “She was going on about using her money to help pay for a new place again.” He didn’t look up to meet Robert’s understanding gaze.

Robert put a hand on Aaron’s, waiting for the younger man to look up at him. Aaron did so, reluctantly, after a couple seconds. “We don’t have to use it if it makes you uncomfortable, Aaron. But she’s only trying to help so try not to be too upset with her. I’ll have a chat later.” Aaron nodded, smiling at how easily Robert volunteered to go talk to Liv. It was strange how well his sister and fiancé got on, considering how much they’d despised each other to begin with.

Robert cocked an eyebrow at him, mirroring his smile. “What are you grinning about?”

Aaron leaned in, planting a chaste kiss on his fiancé. “You.”

Robert’s eyes softened as he gazed back at Aaron. “How did I get so lucky?” He whispered wonderingly, his eyes darkening and flickering away from Aaron’s as he remembered his uncomfortable dinner earlier that night. It was an unwelcome reminder that the happy little bubble he lived in with Aaron didn’t mean he was no longer a target, didn’t mean he could let his guard down. Everything could be shattered in a single moment if he wasn’t careful. 

Aaron’s brow furrowed as he noticed something in Robert’s expression and he grasped Robert’s hand tighter, pulling him up with him as he stood. “We’re heading up early.” 

Robert raised an eyebrow at him, his expression clearing as his wayward thoughts dissipated. “Whatever for?” He asked, feigning ignorance. He grinned mischievously as Aaron peeked at him over his shoulder. Aaron’s ears went slightly pink as he tugged Robert along even more quickly than before in the direction of their room. 

Robert smirked as Aaron swung him around, pressing him against their bedroom wall and closing the door in a single motion. Aaron stepped forward, using his knee to knock Robert’s legs further apart. He trailed kisses along Robert’s jawline, letting his hand trace a line down Robert’s torso to the bottom of his shirt. He yanked it up over Robert’s head in one swift motion. His mouth found Robert’s. They moved as one towards the bed, Aaron breaking the kiss and pushing Robert backwards so he fell onto the mattress. He took off his own shirt, letting it fall to the floor, before climbing on as well. He found Robert’s mouth again, simultaneously working Robert’s pants off in an impressive exhibition of multitasking. Robert chuckled lightly, whispering into Aaron’s ear. “So impatient.” Aaron tugged on Robert’s earlobe with his teeth and responded quietly. “Always.” 

Afterwards, Aaron sighed contentedly, rolling onto his back on his side of the bed. The two men laid next to each other, listening to their breathing calm back to normal. Aaron turned to smile at his fiancé, who was grinning lasciviously back at him. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and kissed Robert deeply, pulling back from the kiss to look lovingly down at him. I’m the one who’s lucky, he thought.

Robert nuzzled into Aaron’s side and they fell asleep wrapped around each other, neither wanting to leave even the smallest amount of space between them.

END of CHAPTER I


	2. CHAPTER II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicola does a whole lot of yelling. Robert is surprised to find he has an ally.

CHAPTER II

Nicola was fuming when Robert walked into the office the next day. “We needed his investment, Robert. You should have heard him on the phone. I don’t know how even you could possibly piss someone off that much in one sitting. I thought this was in the bag; I thought you had this handled!” She was practically spitting fire by the end of her rant, which continued on for nearly ten minutes after that. “He says he’ll consider taking another look at the deal if you agree to go and apologize in person.”

Robert’s eyes darkened, knowing exactly what kind of apology he would be expected to provide if he showed up alone and in person. He was shaking his head in refusal before Nicola had finished speaking. She looked on furiously as he turned and walked out of her office. 

He was sat at his desk massaging his temple for barely thirty seconds before Nicola came barreling in, enraged and shouting. “Get your ass out of that chair and go apologize now! This is my company too, Robert. You are not screwing everything up because you won’t—“

Robert cut her off mid-yell. “It’s not going to happen, Nicola. I’m not apologizing to him.” He stared obstinately at his computer screen while she steamed in the corner for a moment. 

She composed her face and took a deep breath, walking over to Robert’s desk and pulling out the chair to sit down. Once she was settled, she folded her hands and rested them on her knee and looked up at Robert, who was still studiously ignoring her. “Okay. Tell me what happened. What was so offensive that you just can’t put aside your pride and apologize? This is a really important deal, Robert. You know that. If there’s a time to compromise and not be stubborn, this is it.” She waited patiently, expecting Robert to grudgingly see reason and come around to her way of thinking. Aside from causing a muscle in his jaw to twitch angrily, her words had no visible impact. She continued to wait. 

She ran out of patience and slammed her hands down on the desktop, her anger returning in full swing. “Robert! So help me, if you don’t fix this—“ 

“I can’t!” Robert yelled, surprising her into silence with his vehemence. He sighed, looking at her tiredly. “He wanted something from me that I can’t give him. He doesn’t want an apology; he wants me to agree to his demands and I’m not going to do that.” 

Nicola’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What demands? He wants more stock or something?” She was baffled. What could he want? Why hadn’t he brought his demands to her? She was the primary shareholder after all. She was roused from her reverie when Robert failed to answer her and instead fixed his gaze uncomfortably on the wall behind her. “Robert? What did he want?”

He met her eyes coldly, frowning. “He wanted an overnight meeting between just the two of us.” 

She gaped at him. He looked away, his jaw clenching as his anger from the night before flared up again. She swallowed. “Oh.” Something about the look on Robert’s face had her gnashing her teeth angrily and standing up, upset for him rather than with him. “Well, in that case, I take back everything I said. We don’t need filth like that investing in our company.” Robert’s eyes flickered back to hers, widening in surprise at her response. He gawked at her, still at a loss for words, as she strode from his office.

* * * *

Nicola surprised herself by being absolutely livid on Robert’s behalf. She dialed the number of the sleazy former investor, a plan forming in her mind. 

“Strauss speaking.” He answered in what she now realized was a condescending, expectant tone.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Strauss. I’ve just had a very upsetting chat with my business partner. It would seem that things didn’t go quite how you claimed they did at dinner last night.” There was a pregnant pause at the end of the line.

There was a veiled threat in his voice when Mr. Strauss began speaking again. “Whatever he’s said then, I can assure you, is a lie. Mr. Sugden was rude and disrespectful—“

Nicola cut him off, her eye flashing, her voice steely. “No, Mr. Strauss, the one who was rude and disrespectful was you. And if you think you can threaten Robert or me, you are sorely mistaken. If your attempts at extortion are made public, no one will want to do business with you.” She lowered her voice, her tone deceivingly calm despite the fact that she was seething. “Sexual harassment is a serious crime on its own, Mr. Strauss, but attempting to coerce sexual favors from employees of the companies you do business with… well, that’s a felony.” She paused, letting the words sink in. “So here is what is going to happen: you are going to follow through with the deal that we finalized before all of this and then you are going to be a silent, and I mean dead silent, partner. I will await your decision. You have until the end of the day.” She hung up and nodded to herself. There.

END of CHAPTER II


	3. CHAPTER III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob bonds with Liv. Aaron and he have a chat. Robert leaves some things out.

CHAPTER III

Robert was still in a state of shock as he pulled up outside Liv’s school to pick her up. He would have to start liking Nicola, now. He’d never expected her to have his back the way she had, to care enough to get angry on his behalf. It was strange. He didn’t usually misjudge people that badly. He’d really underestimated her; he wouldn’t make that mistake again. 

Liv waved to Gabby before trudging her way over to the passenger side of his car. She yanked the door open, slamming it behind her after she climbed in. Robert rolled his eyes. He didn’t even bother telling her not to be so rough on his car anymore. It was futile and he knew it.

She fiddled with the radio as he pulled out into the street. “How was school?” He asked, smiling at how domestic he sounded.

She raised an eyebrow at him and then turned her attention back to the radio. Robert laughed in response. “Right, okay. Stupid question.” They drove in silence, except for the radio, which played something that was barely passable for music. 

“Listen, Liv…” Robert spoke up after a while. She looked up at him, recognizing that he wanted to talk about something important from his lead-in. “Aaron mentioned that you two had another chat about you using your money to help pay for a new place for the three of us.” Liv looked down at her lap, upset by the reminder of the tiff she’d had with Aaron the night before. “It’s really generous of you to offer to pay, Liv. Aaron recognizes that. He knows you’re only trying to help. But he really doesn’t want to have any part of that money. It makes him really uncomfortable and no amount of logic or reason or… desperation is going to make it feel okay for him to use it. Do you understand?” Liv nodded, her eyes glassy. Robert peeked over at her. “He wasn’t upset with you last night, you know.” She nodded again, smiling tentatively up at Robert. 

“I know.” She sighed. “I won’t bring up paying for a place with my inheritance again.” She frowned and asked. “But how are we going to afford it, then? We can’t live in the back of the pub forever.”

Robert shrugged. “Aaron and I will figure something out.” He turned the volume on the radio up, hoping to distract Liv from that line of questioning. It was only reminding him of the extremely precarious financial situation he and Nicola were now in. He took a deep breath, putting it from his mind.

* * * *

Liv and Robert were bantering easily back and forth in their usual style by the time they arrived and walked into the pub. Chaz watched Aaron’s pleased expression as he looked on, smiling to herself. She laughed as Liv quipped back with such thick sarcasm that Robert was left shaking his head and chuckling as she disappeared to the back. Rob plopped down on the stool beside Aaron, his eyes flickering between their amused expressions. “What?” He asked, baffled.

Aaron laughed and smiled genuinely at his fiancé. “You’re really good with her.” 

Robert raised an eyebrow at Aaron. “We’ve bonded over our mutual love of sarcasm.” He paused and looked at Aaron, a more serious expression coming over his face. “And you, of course.” He added on quietly, so only Aaron could hear.

Aaron leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, grinning. “Of course.” The two men shared a private look before heading over to join Vic and Adam at their table.

A bit later on, Robert stood to get another round of pints for the group, which now somehow had come to include Diane, Doug, Bernice, and Moira. He heard the pub door open as someone came in, but didn’t look up to see who it was. A hand casually placed in the back pocket of his jeans had him turning his head, an annoyed expression on his face, to see Rebecca edging up next to him. “Rebecca.” He said warningly, removing her hand from his back pocket. 

She fluttered her eyelashes at him and responded innocently. “Oh, don’t get all hot and bothered, Rob. I’m just being friendly.” She skipped off to sit at a table in the corner where Lawrence sat, scowling at their exchange. 

Robert rolled his eyes and then turned to bring the pints to the table. Aaron was glaring at Rebecca, his eyes only leaving her back when Robert sat down. Robert placed a hand inconspicuously on Aaron’s knee, feeling him relax at his touch. 

The exchange went unmentioned until the two men were heading to the back after saying goodnight to the rest of the party. Robert flinched as Aaron slammed the door behind him as he walked inside.

“She’s still after you, Rob.” Aaron said abruptly, annoyance adding an edge to his voice. 

Robert sighed, immediately knowing he was referring to what had happened earlier. He couldn’t help his answer coming out a bit exasperated. “Then she’s going to remain disappointed because I’m not the least bit interested.” Robert didn’t look at Aaron, not wanting to deal with this argument again.

Aaron was still visibly agitated as he stomped his way through to the kitchen, but he didn’t say anything else for a few awkwardly silent minutes. The banging of kitchenware had Robert shaking his head and powering on the television to distract him while Aaron organized his thoughts. 

He looked up to see Liv giving him puppy dog eyes. “I need help with my business course again. The teacher’s crap.” Robert laughed, motioning for her to hand him the assignment and take a seat. 

After he’d finished helping her work through the parts she didn’t understand, Liv sighed contentedly, dropping the finished assignment on the side table and relaxing back into the sofa. She sat back up as a particularly loud bang echoed from the kitchen, where Aaron was still on a rampage. She quirked up an eyebrow at Robert. “What’s up with him?” 

Robert shook his head, trying but failing not to roll his eyes. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” 

Liv tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at him now. “Did you do something?” 

Robert shook his head and she relaxed. “He just needs to let off some steam and then he’ll be fine.” He turned up the volume on the television and he and Liv spent about fifteen minutes poking fun at reality TV characters before Aaron trudged in and sat heavily on the couch next to them. Liv excused herself conspicuously, then, giving them privacy to work things out.

“Intuitive little teenager, isn’t she?” Robert laughed once Liv had gone upstairs. Aaron grunted in response. “Are you still upset?” Robert asked finally, when Aaron didn’t break the silence.

Aaron looked at him, annoyed by his placating. “Why doesn’t this bother you more, Rob? You’ve turned her down. You’ve told her you’re not interested. And she’s still not backing off. You should be pissed, but instead you’re just brushing it off, like it’s nothing, like her hitting on you in front of me is totally fine.” 

Robert’s brow furrowed. “Is that what’s upsetting you so much? You think it doesn’t bother me?” He rubbed a hand over his face sighing. He didn’t meet Aaron’s eyes, looking instead at the now blank TV screen. “It does bother me Aaron. It bothers me even more because it’s blatantly disrespectful to you. I don’t want some one-sided flirtation making you question whether I’m committed to you, to us, to…” He waved his hand around carelessly, “to our life together.” He still didn’t meet his eyes. “It bothers me. There’s just nothing I can do about it.” His eyes clouded, his mind no longer on Rebecca. He blinked, pulling himself back from the dark direction of his thoughts. “There’s nothing I can do, so I try to just brush it off and not let it get to me. What else can I—?” Robert stopped speaking abruptly as Aaron pulled him into his chest, hugging him tightly. “Aaron?” He asked, baffled.

“Sorry.” Aaron mumbled into Robert’s shoulder, his voice coming out muffled. “I know it’s not your fault.” Robert hugged him back, enjoying the closeness. 

The two sat on the sofa together, their hands intertwined between them, not really watching what was happening on the screen. 

Chaz came in a few hours later to find the two men asleep in front of the television, Aaron’s head resting on Robert’s shoulder. She chuckled and walked over shaking Aaron gently awake.

“Wha—?” Aaron’s eyes cracked open. “Mum!” He groaned unhappily. He sat up, looking over at Robert, who was still snoring gently. He smiled sleepily.

Chaz kissed Aaron on the top of his head, before ducking out of the room with an, “I’ll let you wake him.” 

Aaron kissed Robert lightly on the cheek and whispered into his ear. “Wake up, sleepy.” Robert’s eyes flickered and he groaned. “I know, I know.” Aaron said pulling Robert up from the couch and guiding him towards the stairs. 

END of CHAPTER III


	4. CHAPTER IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert has a panic attack. Aaron and Vic try to help.

CHAPTER IV

The next morning, Robert didn’t remember how he’d gotten upstairs. He chuckled to himself when he saw both he and Aaron had fallen asleep fully clothed in yesterday’s garb. He reached out and prodded Aaron lightly on the arm. “Aaron, we’ve overslept. Time to wake up.” Aaron gave him a death glare before burying his head back in his pillow. Robert shook his head, still laughing, and changed into fresh clothes.

When he got downstairs, Chaz was making tea. She handed him a cup and sat down at the table with him, shoving the post in his direction. She pointed at one letter with no return address. “That one was shoved under the door sometime yesterday. I nearly slipped and killed myself on it when I came in last night. It’s addressed to you.” At that, she busied herself with reading the paper.

Robert’s brow furrowed. He was just starting to tear the letter open when Aaron came trudging down the stairs. He poured himself a cup of tea before sitting heavily in the chair next to Robert’s. “Liv off yet?” He asked, yawning. Chaz nodded, not looking up from her paper. 

Robert returned his attention to the half-opened envelope in his hand. He ripped it the rest of the way open and peered inside blearily. It took him a moment to understand what he was looking at. Photographs. Lots of photographs. The first few gave him a pretty good idea of the rest. They were of him, bound, gagged, beaten, with each photo depicting the thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen-year-old him in increasingly compromising positions. He winced as the humiliation and revulsion he had felt in those moments captured on camera washed over him. He felt bile rise in the back of his throat as the memories shoved their way back into his head. He smashed his eyes shut, grimacing at the effort it took to keep himself from being sick on the kitchen floor. He needed to get away from Aaron before he noticed. He swallowed back the nausea, long enough to mumble something about an early work call before lurching away from the table and out the front door. 

He got violently ill in front of the pub. He was sweaty and shaking by the time the hurling stopped and was only vaguely aware of Vic fluttering around him worriedly, telling Adam to go inside and get Aaron. Robert shook his head, waving Vic off. “I’m fine. I just ate something that didn’t agree with me. I need to get to work.” His voice came out hoarse and unsteady, rendering his words unconvincing. Vic shook her head at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows as she looked down at her deathly pale brother and knew with complete certainty that something was really wrong. Vic pulled Robert upright, supporting his weight and practically dragging him back into the pub. She knew she had made the right choice, insisting he head back inside instead of going to work, when he leaned heavily on her and wobbled dangerously with every step. 

Just as Vic towed Robert through the pub door, an anxious Aaron came rushing out of the back of the pub, closely followed by Adam. His eyes darted around wildly searching for Robert. He paled when he saw him, clearly unwell, at Vic’s side. He hurried over, ducking under Robert’s other arm so he could help keep him upright. They basically had to carry him to the back. Once there, they lowered him down onto the sofa, where Robert sagged, completely exhausted and unnervingly breathless. Panic was short-circuiting his brain and causing him to forget how to breathe. Aaron held the sides of Robert’s face, and spoke calming words until the turmoil raging behind his fiancé’s eyes calmed and his breathing finally returned to normal. Aaron pulled Robert into him, rubbing a hand soothingly on his back. “I’ve got ya.” Robert just let his head rest on Aaron’s shoulder, too tired to move and too comforted to want to.

They remained like that for a few minutes before Victoria’s voice squeaked anxiously from the corner of the room, where she stood watching with Adam and Chaz. “Rob? Are ya alright?” 

Robert pulled back from Aaron, keeping one hand on his knee to maintain the physical connection that was currently the only thing keeping him sane. His voice came out a bit choked, but stronger than it had been before. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. Go on. You’ll be late for work.” He could barely meet Vic’s eyes, embarrassed by his vulnerability and scared to death she would somehow read on his face what he had managed to keep from her and everyone else in their family for so many years.

Aaron jumped in, sensing Robert’s discomfort. “Right, you lot go on ahead. I’ve got this handled here.” Vic looked like she wanted to argue, but reconsidered as she noticed Robert’s shoulders relax with relief at the suggestion. Everyone cleared out of the room quietly, exchanging worried glances as they left.

The first thing that really frightened Aaron was that Robert would not, could not, meet his eyes. It was as if the confidence, the assured air, that Robert always carried with him had suddenly abandoned him, leaving him suddenly vulnerable in a way Aaron couldn’t remember ever having witnessed before. What could have happened since he came downstairs this morning and Robert left for work that could have had this kind of effect? He vaguely recalled Robert opening a letter. He had left rather hurriedly right after. Aaron decided that had to be the culprit: the letter. 

He didn’t waste any time. “Rob? Talk to me. What set this off? Was it something to do with the letter—?”

Robert went rigid, his eyes widening and flickering fearfully into Aaron’s before flicking away again. Aaron halted speaking at his fiancé’s reaction, his sense of foreboding heightening. “What did it say?” He asked quietly, his brain conjuring up the worst possibilities before settling on the most likely: Robert was having an affair. He chased the thought from his head, scolding himself internally for jumping to conclusions before Robert had even said anything. He waited, forcing himself to be patient, and watched Robert shake like a leaf in front of him. 

Almost five minutes passed before Robert finally spoke, his voice rasping so much that it was unrecognizable. “It didn’t say anything. There were…” Robert blew out a breath as he tried to ward off another wave of panic. “There were pictures.” 

Aaron’s eyebrows knitted together and his mouth formed a hard line. “Pictures of what?” His voice came out sharper than he intended. He already knew, before he asked the question, that the pictures were of Robert being intimate with someone. When Robert was with them would be what determined whether Aaron was jealous or furious.

Robert’s eyes clouded over as he recollected the sickening images. “Of me…” He trailed off, not able to say more. He couldn’t tell Aaron. He couldn’t tell him that he’d gone through what Aaron did, that he’d had the same rude, horrible introduction to sex. He couldn’t tell anyone. Ever. 

He couldn’t let anyone see those pictures. Their horrific contents were not something he could stomach the thought of anyone, especially his loved ones, seeing. But, worse even, was that the photos held evidence, the only evidence that existed, of who had beat him, leathered him, bound him… fucked him. A brown watch with a black, rectangular framed face left carelessly on a bedside table in the background. A greenish-brown zippered jacket left crumpled in a heap on the floor. A chequered cap hanging on one of the bedposts. There was no way Vic or Andy or Diane could look at the photos without recognizing those things.

After all… Jack Sugden had worn them all the time.

END of CHAPTER IV


	5. CHAPTER V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert tries to cover something up. There is a misunderstanding.

CHAPTER V

Aaron watched Robert’s eyes grow foggy as his speech trailed off and he retreated mentally into himself. He was getting frustrated now. He crouched on the floor in front of Robert, leaning in to try and entice Robert to meet his eyes. “Of you… with someone?” He finally asked, realizing Robert wasn’t going to resume speaking on his own.

Robert stiffened. His eyes finally rose to meet Aaron’s. He nodded slowly, feeling suddenly hopeful that he could lie his way out of this. Well, not lie exactly, but censor the truth. Aaron would know if he told a straight out lie, but if he told only part of the truth and convinced Aaron not to look at the pictures, he might be able to keep the secret about his father from coming out. 

Aaron was no longer looking at him, his features stiff as he asked the loaded question. “Were you with them while we were together?” 

Robert was shaking his head furiously from side to side before Aaron finished. “No. Of course not. They’re… from a long time ago.” 

Aaron’s shoulders sagged in relief at his words. He looked back at Robert, who was watching him anxiously now. His brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why would seeing photos of you and some ex from a long time ago trigger a panic attack, Rob? What am I missing?” 

Robert looked away again from him, his eyes clouding as he prepared to reveal part of the truth, which, even fragmented, was still far more than he had ever told anyone in his entire life up to that point. “I was young. Underage. With someone older, someone I shouldn’t have been with.” He whispered sadly. “It would really upset my family. Vic and Diane and Andy.” He placed his head in his hands. “We’re all finally in a good place and this would just blow up everything.” 

Aaron rubbed his arm soothingly until Robert raised his head and his eyes to gauge Aaron’s reaction. Aaron looked back without judgment, waiting for Robert to calm once more before asking the new, burning question sitting on his tongue. He couldn’t quite keep the angry edge out of his voice. “And why is someone sending you photos like that?” His eyes burned angrily at the uncomfortable look that came over Robert’s face at his question. 

Robert sighed, his eyes trained downward. “Remember how I told you the meeting with the investor didn’t go well?” Aaron nodded, his brow furrowing at the unexpected direction of the conversation. “That was a bit of an understatement… The investor, he wanted some additional… services in exchange for investing in the company.” Robert paused, hoping Aaron would catch on without him having to spell it out. Aaron continued to look confused so he continued. “He told me he wouldn’t invest unless I, you know…” Robert felt rather than saw when Aaron’s confusion morphed into rage as he finally understood what Robert was alluding to. 

Aaron spoke in an enraged whisper. “He said what?” He jerked upright, standing over Robert and glaring down at him. And then he whispered more quietly. “What did you do?” 

Robert’s eyes flew to his face. “I said no. Of course I said no.” The hurt came through in his voice. Aaron remained stony faced, waiting for more. Robert felt his stomach drop, not having anticipated that Aaron might not believe him when he told the actual truth. “That’s why he’s sent the pictures, Aaron, because I wouldn’t do it.” His voice came out pleading as he desperately searched Aaron’s face. 

The next question caught Robert off guard. “And where were you running off to this morning, after you opened the envelope and saw that he was trying to blackmail you? Hmm?” Aaron’s eyes were cold and unfeeling as he glowered down at him. 

Robert felt all of his explanations dry up on his tongue at that look. He was immediately transported back to the moment when he stood in the courthouse and met Aaron’s eyes for the first time since his shooting. The words bounced around his skull, as if they had just been spoken. ‘Why couldn’t you have done us all a favor and just died.’ He looked away from Aaron, feeling the panic that had been kept at bay start to encroach on him once more. He barely managed to choke the words out. “I just needed to find out how he’d gotten ahold of those pictures, Aaron. I wasn’t going to—“

Aaron cut him off, yelling with full volume. “That’s bullshit, Robert! You were going to let him fuck you and blow up everything we’ve worked for so you wouldn’t have to deal with the truth coming out about you screwing up. Sound familiar? It should. This is what you do. You muck things up and then you drag everyone else into your mess and make things a thousand times worse trying to cover it up.” Aaron shook his head and spoke in a detached, harsh voice. “I shouldn’t really be surprised. This is who you’ve always been. I’m just the idiot who thought you’d changed, that you’d become a better person… that I could actually trust you. But I see you now.” Robert shook his head in mute horror at the finality in Aaron’s tone, fighting to find the right words to stop Aaron from saying those last, deadly syllables. “I’m done. I’m finally done. Get out.” Robert was frozen in shock. Aaron grabbed him roughly by the arm and shoved him towards the exit. “Get out!” Aaron yelled, pushing him in the chest so he stumbled backwards against the door.

Hatred. Disgust. That’s what he read on Aaron’s face. It was strange that now, after he had just divulged at least part of the darkest, most well kept secret of his life to the man he loved, he was going to lose him. Ironic how, after the plethora of lies he had told, the truth would be what ruined him. He could only stare open-mouthed at Aaron, attempting to think of a way to prove the man he loved that he wasn’t lying.

“Aaron, please.” Robert’s voice was barely a squeak. “Please, listen, you’ve got it wrong. Please—“

Aaron didn’t even pause, past the point where words could reach him. He yanked the door open and pushed Robert out, slamming the door in his face and cutting off his words.

“Aaron.” Robert said to the door in shock.

END of CHAPTER V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be too mad at me! I promise to fix what I broke!


	6. CHAPTER VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert gets really drunk. Someone takes advantage of his weakness.

CHAPTER VI

Robert stood staring at Aaron’s door. His insides felt like they were squirming to escape the horrifying emptiness opening up like a cavern in his heart. His body moved on its own, wrenching itself towards the loo. He got sick again, his body heaving and shaking and gagging. Everything was crumbling down. The rock solid foundation Robert had thought he and Aaron had built their relationship and their new life on was suddenly brittle and breaking. Breaking into pieces. Crumbling to dust. Blowing away, like it never existed at all. He sagged against the stall door, fighting to pull himself together just long enough to get somewhere private and isolated where he could let himself fall apart. He wiped his mouth and pulled himself into a standing position. He forced himself to walk upright and calmly out of the loo, down the hallway, through the pub, and out the front door. From the whispers he heard as he walked by, he learned everyone had heard what Aaron had shouted. Everyone knew he had just been thrown out and everyone thought he deserved it. ‘Good riddance.’ ‘Maybe he’ll finally take a hint and leave.’ ‘Aaron deserves better.’ ‘Well it was only a matter of time before he screwed everything up.’ Their words pierced him like arrows through his back, stabbing, wounding, maiming. He made it to his car, pulled away from the curb, and sped down the road, tears blurring his vision.

He drove until he was far enough away that he could be sure he wouldn’t run into anyone he knew. Then he found the crappiest, dreariest dive bar in his vicinity and headed inside. He didn’t know what kind of expression he wore on his face, but the barkeep hastily filled his drink order and scurried away from the side of the bar he’d sat himself at. He drank, trying to dilute the pain, to dull it, to forget why he was there drinking in the first place. Another. Then another. And suddenly it seemed obvious. He needed to stand up for himself. He needed to tell Strauss once and for all that no meant no. He dialed his sleazy ex-investor’s number.

Ring. Ring. “Ah, Robert, I was wondering when I’d be hearing from you.” Robert wanted to scratch his ears off at the smug, domineering tone of his voice. He settled for shouting very loudly into his phone.

“I don’t care what you threaten me with. I will never do what you want. I would never cheat on the man I love. So go— GO! Show the pictures to whoever you damn well please. But just remember, I’m underage in those and they’re evidence of a crime committed against a minor, so if you do show them to anyone, I will make sure you spend at least a decade rotting in a jail cell. Now never call me again you sick motherfucker.” He slammed the phone down on the bar and looked up to see everyone staring at him, having heard every word he’d said. He walked out to find a different bar.

He ordered a bottle of something strong and sat gulping it down in burning mouthfuls at a back table. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. He was swaying in his seat, starting to nod off, when someone sat down across from him. He couldn’t focus his eyes. He didn’t know who it was, but he could sense with his lizard brain that he wasn’t safe. 

He jerked his arm away when the person tried to pull him up and towards the exit. “’m not goin’ with ya.” His voice came out slurred and he continued to sway, but he was just in control of his faculties enough to continue to fend off all attempts by the stranger to lead him outside. And then the stranger shoved a phone screen in his face, so close that he could make out, even with his drunk goggles, that Liv was being unknowingly filmed as she walked with Gabby outside the Woolpack. The threat spiked his system with adrenaline, which sobered him up slightly. He looked up to see who was sitting across from him. 

Strauss, his face twisted in a triumphant smirk, spoke into the phone. “Now, make sure you get a nice camera angle when you push… what’s her name again? Oh, right, Liv, when you push Liv in front of a car.” 

Robert grabbed Strauss’s wrist, and stood up, glaring half angrily, half fearfully down at him. “Tell him to stop. She’s a child.” His voice betrayed his desperation, that he would do anything to keep this man from hurting Liv. 

Strauss smiled in response, knowing he was holding the winning hand in the game they had been playing. “And I have no reason to hurt her. So,” Strauss pulled a tiny clear bag full of round white tablets out of his pocket and dumped its contents into Robert’s drink. “If you drink this, all of it, I’ll call my man off and Liv can go safely home to Aaron and Chas.” Robert paled even further, knowing he was trapped. “Hurry up now or I won’t have time to call him off.” Robert poured the drink down his throat, slamming the empty glass down on the table. He glared across the table at Strauss, who held Robert’s gaze as he spoke into the phone again. “Alright, leave the girl be. I’ve gotten what I wanted.” The video feed shut off after showing Liv’s pursuer turn around and head the other direction. Robert sagged in his chair, knowing that he was completely and utterly helpless. A numb feeling started creeping over his limbs and his eyes went unfocused. He drifted, barely capable of comprehending that he was being loaded into the back seat of a car and driven off.

END of CHAPTER VI


	7. CHAPTER VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things happen to Rob. Vic stands up for her brother. Aaron has an epiphany a little late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is the really upsetting part. I tried to keep it vague. Sorry if I upset anyone. Seriously, don't read if you can't handle the type of stuff referenced in the tags for this story.

CHAPTER VII

Chas heard the shouting and watched a ghostly white Robert lurch through the crowded pub and outside onto the sidewalk. She didn’t even have time to ask him what had happened. But she could guess. He’d cheated. After everything that had happened, after all the promises he’d made to Aaron and Liv, he’d cheated. She threw her dishrag down angrily and strode to the back to talk to Aaron.

He was sitting on the couch, angry tears running down his face. Chas sat next to him, waiting for him to start speaking on his own. It was a couple minutes before he did. “He was going to cheat on me, to keep someone from exposing something bad that he did.” 

Chas froze at the unexpected revelation. Her voice came out confused and a bit higher pitched than usual. “Wait so he didn’t cheat on you… but he was going to? And you know this?” 

Aaron nodded. “Some investor that he’s been courting sent him compromising photos, of him with someone, to try and blackmail him into... into sleeping with him. When he left in a big hurry this morning, that’s where he was going, to see him, to…” Aaron trailed off, hating the thought of Robert with someone else and hating that he still cared.

There was a pregnant pause and then Chas asked. “He told you that? He told you he was going over there to give in to this guy’s blackmailing?” Chas surprised herself by standing up for Robert. “Aaron, that doesn’t sound like Robert at all.”

Aaron stood up abruptly from the sofa, startling Chas. He was shouting when he spoke up next. “You didn’t see his face!” His voice dropped back down in volume. “When I asked him where he was going this morning, he looked like… like he knew it was over, like he’d been caught red handed. You didn’t see.” 

Chas put a hand bracingly on Aaron’s shoulder. “Aaron, you may be right. Robert might be the lying, cheating scumbag we used to think he was. But if you throw away your entire relationship and the future you had planned together, without having a serious conversation where you make sure you didn’t jump to any wrong conclusions, you’ll regret it, love. Believe me.” Aaron shook his head stubbornly. Chas sighed and said, “Sleep on it. Taking one night to think won’t do any harm.” 

* * * *

Unfortunately, Chas was wrong about the last part. Quite a lot of harm could be done in a single night. 

Robert came to in a hotel room. He could barely move his arms and legs and what movements he could manage were sluggish and useless. He could feel everything, every touch, every kiss, every thrust. It was strange, though, like he was detached from the act itself, like it wasn’t really happening to him. He didn’t know for how long it went on, but as the numbness started receding from his limbs and the fog cleared from his mind, he started to feel more. There was pain, lots of pain, radiating agonizingly through his body. He tried to fight, but found his hands were cuffed to the headboard, the metal scraping the skin off his wrists as he struggled. When he tried to kick his attacker off, he received a swift, hard smack that whipped his head sideways, followed by a rib-cracking jab to his left side. When he tried to yell for help, he realized his calls were muffled by a makeshift gag. He struggled anyway, kicking more and yelling more, all without effect. And then his kicking subsided and the pain became unbearable and the yelling turned to screaming and everything faded to darkness.

* * * *

When Aaron woke up the next morning his first thought was that he was awfully cold. 

He turned over and found himself staring at Robert’s empty side of the bed. The previous days events came crashing down on him and he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. It was over. He’d ended it. The last glimpse he’d gotten of Robert’s face flashed before his eyes. He’d looked so hurt and vulnerable and shocked. Why? Did he really think he could lie his way out of that? Aaron thought about what he’d said: ‘I just needed to find out how he’d gotten ahold of those pictures.’ Was he supposed to believe that? His mother’s advice echoed in his head. ‘If you throw away your entire relationship and the future you had planned together, without having a serious conversation where you make sure you didn’t jump to any wrong conclusions, you’ll regret it.’ He rubbed his face roughly and rolled out of bed onto his feet. Why did he feel so cold?

Liv and Chas watched him out of the corners of their eyes throughout breakfast, like they were waiting for him to start crying or shouting, but weren’t quite sure which reaction they were expecting. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, snatched his jacket off the hook on the wall, and pushed his way out the door. He was just in time to see Vic shove her way into the Woolpack, her eyes red from crying, a worried expression on her face. He tried to avoid her eyes and walk past, but she sniffled hopelessly just as he was walking by, forcing him to pause and reluctantly turn around. “Vic?” He asked softly, a bad feeling creeping over him as her watery, exhausted eyes rose to meet his. 

She looked like she wanted to ask him something, but ended up just shaking her head hopelessly. He pressed, his sense of foreboding growing. “Vic, what’s wrong?” 

A few errant tears rolled down her face. She wiped them away hurriedly. She didn’t look at him when she said hoarsely, “All of Rob’s stuff is gone from my garage. He must have cleared it out sometime last night.” Aaron froze. Vic continued. “I think he’s left Emmerdale. He didn’t even say goodbye.” Her voice broke at the end. Vic wiped at her eyes viciously. “But I guess that’ll make you happy, won’t it?” She turned and strode towards the kitchen, unable to look Aaron in the face. 

Aaron stood without moving in the middle of the Woolpack for a while before following after Vic. He needed her to understand, to not avoid his eyes, to not blame him for Robert leaving. She was cooking and crying at the same time, wiping her tears every few seconds on the towel thrown over her shoulder. He stood further away from her than he normally would, waiting for her to acknowledge that she saw him there. 

She ignored him, her movements growing more and more jerky and angry the longer he stood there. Finally, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and she shut the stove off and wheeled around to face him. “You told me you had him! You told me to go back to work, that you would take care of him! He was scared, Aaron. I’ve never seen him scared like that. He needed you. I would never have left him if I thought you were going to… You told me you had him.” Her voice grew cold and accusatory by the end.

Aaron held his hands out, pleading for her to understand. “He was scared because his lies were unraveling, Vic. What was I supposed to do? He was going to throw away everything we’d built over a secret he wanted kept. How could I stand by him after finding that out?”

Vic shook her head at him. “Have you ever seen my brother like that, Aaron, vulnerable like that, so worried that it made him sick? I have. Once. After the crash, when he wasn’t sure if you were going to make it.” Vic was shaking with anger and sorrow at the memory. “I’m so used to him being so… impervious to everything life threw at him, like nothing could get to him. But not that day. That day he looked so broken. There was nothing you could do to help him then. But this time… this time you were right there and instead of helping him you destroyed him when he was vulnerable in front of you. For what? You say he was going to throw everything away. But he got so sick at the thought, that he barely made it out your front door. You’re the one who threw your relationship away, Aaron, threw him away. And if you don’t see that, you’re a fool.” Vic pushed past him, yanking off her apron and throwing it on the counter. She paused before walking out. “I’m taking the day off. Tell Chas I can’t stand to look at your face.” And then she was gone.

Aaron leaned heavily back against the counter, her words slicing and dicing his already shaky confidence, that throwing Robert out had been the right thing, into pieces. Had he been too hasty? Had he over reacted? Had he jumped to the wrong conclusion? Had he let Robert down? He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. Was it too late to fix what he had broken?

END of CHAPTER VII


	8. CHAPTER VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert deals with the aftermath of what happened to him. Aaron discovers something and decides to go looking for Robert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not too graphic here, but we are dealing with a difficult subject so if you're not cool with the things referenced in the tags, please don't read. I really don't want to upset anyone. 
> 
> Otherwise, hope everyone enjoys and thanks so much to everyone who's commented and followed along and left kudos. It means a lot. I hope you stay with me till the conclusion. This is the angsty angsty part so hang in there!
> 
> Thanks! Happy reading!!

CHAPTER VIII

Robert woke up to find his hands were no longer restrained. He started to sit up, falling back with a gasp as pain radiated through his body. Everything hurt, his head, his throat, his arms, his legs, his back. The worst pain was in his abdomen. It felt like he was being punched over and over in the stomach. He grimaced as he forced himself to sit up and look himself over.

He was covered in bruises from head to toe, the largest of which was a dark blue-black bruise blossoming larger and larger across the ribs on his left side. He placed a hand tenderly on the bruise and confirmed it. Broken. At least two of them. He blew out a breath painfully. There was blood on the sheets. He winced as he remembered why. He scanned the room for his clothes, seeing only a torn mess of fabric on the floor. “Dammit.” His eyes watered as his ribs gave another twinge. 

The standard hotel phone on the bedside table caught his eye. He blanched at the effort it took to reach, but managed to get ahold of it. He called the front desk.

The friendly voice of a woman answered. “This is the front desk. How may I be of assistance?” 

Robert gritted his teeth, concentrating on making his voice sound normal. “Hello. Would it be possible to get some clothes sent up to my room? It seems I’ve… spilled some red wine on mine.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line as the woman, who must have been a new hire, consulted with someone else on whether or not they provided this service. She came back on the line. “Sorry for the delay. I can purchase some clothing from one of the stores in our lobby on your behalf and bring them to your room for you, if you’d like.”

Robert let out a relieved breath, grimacing at the resulting pain. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.” His eyes darkened as he got an idea. “Please charge everything to the same card used to pay for the room.” 

“Of course, sir.” Said the woman. “Do you have any clothes in particular that you would prefer? We have a wide selection.” 

“Something with long sleeves…” He swallowed painfully and amended his statement. “A turtleneck would be best. Get a scarf if you can’t find one. Any pants and shoes will work.” He informed her of his clothing sizes and confirmed his order. He hung up the phone, dropping it next to him on the bed, and shut his eyes against the growing agony. He panted, working up the motivation to stand. He gritted his teeth and shifted his weight onto his feet, nearly fainting from the effort. He shuffled slowly over to the closet, holding himself up by leaning on the furniture. He shrugged on a white robe, his back stinging as the fabric slid over the long slashes there. He moved slowly over to the door, trying to avoid making any of his injuries worse, sliding down the wall into a sitting position on the floor, cringing at the contact. He waited, his breathing increasing in tempo as the pain grew worse and worse. 

Finally, a knock sounded on the door. He pushed himself up again, using the wall as an aid. He pulled the door open just a bit, hoping the worst of his injuries remained blocked from view. The widening of the woman at the door’s eyes told him they weren’t. He had trouble meeting her eyes as he accepted the bag of clothes from her and nodded his thanks. “If you could arrange for a car service. I’ll be leaving in half an hour. Charge it all on my card please.” He closed the door as she said in a small voice, “Of course.”

He dropped the bag on the ground and walked unsteadily over to the bathroom, letting his robe fall to the floor. He stepped in the shower and turned the water on, shuddering as the water ran over his sensitive skin and burned the cuts on his back and wrists. He rested his forehead against the tile of the shower enclosure, and watched the water, tinted pink from blood, swirl down the drain. 

* * * *

Aaron was starting to get really frightened that Robert was gone. He had tried his phone multiple times, leaving messages that grew increasingly pleading. Please call back. Please talk to me. Where are you? Please don’t be gone. 

He sat in their room, his head in his hands, tears falling onto the ground at his feet. The more he thought about what Vic had said, the more he realized she was right, that he had been the one who threw everything away. He’d let Robert down. He’d messed up. He stood up, rubbing his eyes roughly. If Robert wouldn’t call him back, he would go find him. He tugged his black hoodie over his head and walked downstairs, making his way to the door. He slipped on something on the floor, careening awkwardly into console by the door. “Shit. Ow.” He complained, looking down to see what he had slipped on. 

There, laying on the floor, was a white envelope, its contents poking out enough for Aaron to get a glimpse. His breath caught in his throat at the sight and he fell to his knees by the envelope, staring at the few visible pictures. He pulled the rest of them out and began flipping through them, growing more and more horrified. He shoved the photos back inside the envelope, unable to look at them any longer. He remained kneeling on the floor in the middle of the hallway, his knees aching in protest, for what felt like hours as his brain whirred incoherently in his skull. 

Robert was abused, his Robert. The Robert that had sat listening as he spoke for the first time about what Gordon had done to him. The Robert that stood up at Gordon’s trial and spoke of how strong Aaron was. The Robert that had sat, white as a ghost, looking at these pictures at the breakfast table the morning before. 

No wonder Robert couldn’t stand the thought of people seeing these. No wonder he got out of the Woolpack as fast as he could. No wonder he panicked. Aaron fell back against the wall, sobbing with regret, indescribably furious at the person who had put Robert through something so horrible. 

And then he started remembering what Robert had said. ‘I was young. Underage. With someone older, someone I shouldn’t have been with.’ ‘It would really upset my family. Vic and Diane and Andy.’ He started to shake as an appalling thought wormed its way into his brain. It must have been a family friend, someone they were all close to. He forced himself to look back at the pictures again. It didn’t take long for him to notice the chequered cap that appeared in more than one of the pictures. It looked vaguely familiar, but Aaron couldn’t quite place where he had seen it before. He shook his head. He’d have to ask Robert after he found him. He folded the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket as he made his way out the door.

END of CHAPTER VIII


	9. CHAPTER IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert heads to the hospital. Aaron traces his steps.

CHAPTER IX

Robert barely made it to the hospital. It had been a struggle to stay conscious long enough to dress himself and stumble his way down to the hotel lobby. He’d received a great deal of concerned looks as he wobbled outside to get in the car called for him. He’d told the driver to take him to the hospital and then passed out in the back seat, only to be woken up when the driver shook him gently awake upon their arrival. He nodded blearily in thanks to the driver, who was looking at him as if wondering whether it was his responsibility to see him inside. Robert responded with a mumbled, “I’ve got it from here.” And tottered into the ER. 

He struggled to remain standing long enough to get the attention of the nurse at the desk. Her attention remained elsewhere and he waited and wobbled, black dots dancing across his vision. He was still conscious when his legs gave out and he fell in slow motion to the floor. And then with a dreadful crack, his head hit the floor and he was thrust into unconsciousness.

* * * *

Aaron was starting to lose it. He had driven around to all the hotels and motels and bars nearby and found Robert had not visited a single one. Where was he? How could he have grabbed his stuff in the middle of the night from Vic’s house and gotten himself far away from Emmerdale without being seen by a single person? He decided he’d have to expand his range, thinking what direction Robert would head if he wanted to get away.

It was afternoon by the time he walked into the worst dive he’d seen in a long while, showed a picture of Robert on his phone, and received a nod from the bartender. 

“Yeah, I’ve seen him. Are you a cop, then?” The bartender growled. 

Aaron leaned across the bar excitedly. “You saw him? When? Did you see which way he went when he left? Did he say anything—?” Aaron stopped talking abruptly. “Wait, why did you ask if I was a cop?” Aaron asked, a bad feeling creeping over him.

The bartender raised an eyebrow at him and then shrugged and launched into the story. “That guy came in here, drunk off his ass and asked for a bottle of scotch. He went and sat over there, at that table in the corner with it. He must’ve really had a bad day.” The bartender’s smile fell a bit at Aaron’s expression, which was an unhappy mixture of sad and guilty. “Er… Then… well, then this other guy came in…” The bartender looked uncomfortable. Aaron felt his heart rate accelerate. Oh no. “And he was trying to get him to leave with him, but the blonde guy wouldn’t budge. At first, I thought the other guy was a buddy, looking after his friend, making sure he didn’t drive and all that… but then he showed the blonde guy something on his cell phone and the blonde guy got really upset—“ 

Aaron interrupted. “Could you see what was on the phone?”

“No, but they were talking about some girl… Liz or something like that…” The bartender answered. 

Aaron went pale. “Liv?” He whispered. 

The bartender nodded enthusiastically. “That’s what it was! Liv. And then, and this was one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in all the time I’ve been running this pub, the other guy pulls a packet of white pills out of his pocket and dumps them in the blonde guy’s drink right in front of him! And the blonde guy gives him this beyond pissed off look and then drinks it!” The bartender looks at Aaron, unhappy now. “I probably should’ve stepped in when the guy half carried him out of the bar. It was just so strange that I didn’t quite know how to react…” 

Aaron stood frozen in front of him. Oh no. Oh no. His blood turned cold. Had the guy who’d been trying to blackmail Robert with the pictures before… had he threatened Liv to get Robert to go with him? Aaron grasped the edge of the bar with shaking hands, holding himself up. “Did you see which way they drove off?” Aaron’s couldn’t quite keep the anger he felt at the bartender for doing nothing out of his voice.

The bartender looked down, ashamed, at the bar. “If I remember right, they drove north.” Aaron nodded and exited the bar. He got into his car and headed north.

* * * *

“Put pressure on the head wound. Let’s get him onto the gurney in one, two, three!” The doctor and nursing staff lifted Robert gently onto the gurney, one nurse pressing gauze to his head where it was bleeding. They wheeled him behind a curtained off section in the ER and began cutting off his clothing. Even wearing their masks of professionalism, the doctor and nurses couldn’t help but make angry noises in the backs of their throats as they saw his injuries. 

The doctor spoke in a monotone. “Get an ultrasound. We need to check for internal bleeding.” He probed the bruise on Robert’s side. “He’s got multiple rib fractures.” 

A nurse spoke in the same monotone from the end of the bed. “We’ll be needing a rape kit.” 

The doctor answered, visibly angry now. “Order a head CT, an ultrasound, and a kit. Stat.”

* * * *

Aaron pulled up in front of his sixteenth hotel. It was getting dark now. Please. Please let someone have seen him. Oh God, please.

He walked inside, searching for the front desk. There was one woman there who looked slightly shaken. He had the strange feeling that he should talk to her, that she would know something.

“Excuse me.” He said to her. She looked at him quizzically, noticing how ruffled he looked. “Please, have you seen this guy?” He held up his phone, the picture of Robert on the screen.

The girl’s eyes widened and she nodded at him, her brow furrowing with worry. “He called down to the front desk this morning. I brought the stuff he asked for up to his room.” She frowned. Aaron watched her face, hanging desperately onto every detail she gave. “He was hurt, I think.” 

Aaron’s hands tightened into fists. “Is he still here?”

She shook her head. “No. He asked for a car service. It picked him up around eleven.”

Aaron could feel himself shaking with worry and anxiety. “Please, can you find out where the car service took him? It’s really important.”

The woman looked at him for a moment and then nodded. She dialed a number on the phone and talked to someone on the other line for a minute before hanging up and putting the phone down. She frowned unhappily. “He got a ride to the hospital down the road.” Aaron whirled around and strode quickly towards the exit, jumping in his car and driving away at top speed.

END of CHAPTER IX


	10. CHAPTER X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron gives a lot more information than he gets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking and feels. The next few chapters are going to mainly be like that... you know how hospital scenes go...

CHAPTER X

Aaron couldn’t even remember the drive to the hospital. The whole time his brain was moving at hyper speed. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. He relived the last few days, wallowing in every moment where he’d failed. He’d failed when he’d gotten angry at Robert for Rebecca hitting on him. He’d failed when he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and kicked Robert out. He’d failed when he’d taken so long to see his mistake that that man was able to take advantage of Robert being alone and vulnerable. He squeezed the steering wheel, his fingers aching. Please let it not be too late. 

He pulled into the hospital parking lot and practically ran inside. He stood breathing heavily waiting in line to talk to the nurse at the counter. Finally, he reached the front of the line. 

“How can I help you, sir?” The nurse asked, taking in his unease. 

“Has a Robert Sugden come in for treatment?” Please let him be okay.

The nurse typed something into her computer. “No one by that name is currently being treated here.”

Aaron’s pulse quickened. He pulled up the picture of Robert on his phone. “This is who I’m looking for. Maybe he’s here under a different name?” Aaron watched the nurse’s pupils dilate with recognition. 

Her eyes were narrowed when she looked away from the photo and back at him. “One moment, please.” She dialed a number on the hospital phone and held it to her ear, keeping her eyes trained on Aaron as she spoke into the receiver. “There’s a man here asking about our recent arrival, says the patient’s name is Robert Sugden.” She paused, listening. “Alright.” She set down the phone. “If you could take a seat, someone will be here to talk to you shortly.” The woman’s eyes were suspicious, and if Aaron wasn’t misreading her expression, she seemed angry… at him. He had a feeling he didn’t want to know why.

Aaron was seated for barely two minutes before two armed police officers walked over to him. They stood, one on each side of him. “What is your relationship with Mr. Sugden?” 

Aaron’s brow furrowed as he answered in a shaky, worried voice. “I’m his fiancé.” They glared down at him, as if a suspicion of theirs had been confirmed. “Please, is he alright? Can I see him?” 

“Where were you between the hours of 11:30 pm and 5:00 am, mister…?” One of the officers asked brusquely. 

“Dingle.” Aaron answered, swallowing anxiously. “I was home. What—?” 

The officers exchanged loaded glances, interrupting him before he could ask his question. “And Mr. Sugden was with you?”

Aaron paled, understanding that they suspected him of doing something to Robert. His voice came out choked. “No. We… we got in a fight that morning and I told him to leave.” One of the officers began speaking but Aaron cut him off, his eyes going unfocused as he recounted the events of the stressful day. “I realized I’d made a mistake and I went looking for him. I showed his picture round and a bartender recognized him, told me he’d seen someone drug his drink and lead him out of the bar. The bartender told me which direction they’d gone and I found a woman working at the desk at a hotel nearby and she told me she’d seen him, that… that he was hurt.” Aaron paused, swallowing back the dread. “She looked up where the car service he’d ordered took him and told me it was this hospital. And then I came here.” Aaron looked from one officer to the other, a desperate plea in his eyes. “Can you please tell me if he’s okay?”

The two officers looked slightly stunned at the sudden onslaught of information, but their suspicions remained as they looked down at the most likely suspect they had. Still, the amount of detail was a telltale sign that this Mr. Dingle was telling the truth… that or he was a very impressive liar. “This man that led Mr. Sugden from the bar in your story, do you have any idea of who he might be? Anyone that’s been hanging around him lately, an ex perhaps?” 

Aaron nodded, his mouth forming an abhorred grimace. “There was this investor that tried to blackmail Robert into sleeping with him. Rob said no.” Aaron whispered the last part, knowing it to be true, disgusted with himself for not believing Robert from the beginning. He looked up at the officers. “Nicola, his business partner, she’ll be able to tell you his name.” 

The officers consulted each other in whispers before turning back to Aaron. “We’ll need to check out your story, make sure it holds up, before we can give you any information about Mr. Sugden.” The officer held up a hand to silence Aaron’s objections. “Please write down the names of the bar and the hotel where you talked to these witnesses. Write down the number of Mr. Sugden’s business partner as well.” 

“Please, I don’t want him to be alone—“ Aaron protested, but the officer cut him off.

“Until you are eliminated as a suspect, you cannot see Mr. Sugden, nor can you be given any of his medical information. I’m sorry, Mr. Dingle. That is the way it has to be.” The officer spoke softly at the end, seeing the anguish in Aaron’s expression. “Now, please write down the information so we can go confirm your story.” Aaron nodded, defeated, and wrote down what the officer asked for. 

The two turned to leave. “Wait!” Aaron called. “Please, at least let me call his sister.”

The officers both nodded, agreeing, before turning to leave once more.

END of CHAPTER X


	11. CHAPTER XI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Adam find out Rob is in the hospital. Vic talks to a doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm not trying to torture anyone with cliffhangers- I'm posting the next chapter too. Don't be mad at me ;)
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's reading an commenting.

CHAPTER XI

Aaron had to redial Vic’s number a few times before his shaking fingers could get it right. Her phone went to voicemail after a single ring. He breathed out a shaky breath. Shit. She was upset with him. That meant she wasn’t going to answer, no matter how many times he called, and she’d probably delete any voicemail he left before even listening to it. Think. Think. He hung up and dialed Adam’s number. 

Adam answered with a huff. “Sheesh! I was wondering when you were gonna call. Did ya forget we were supposed to, ya know, work today? Down at the yard? We’re meant to be running a business, Aaron!” Adam waited for a response, hearing only silence on the other line. “Aaron? You there?” 

“I’m here.” Was all Aaron could manage, his voice a strangled murmur. He swallowed painfully past the lump that had formed in his throat at the sound of his friend’s voice. 

Adam’s tone was anxious when he responded. “Aaron, what’s wrong?”

A croaky sob escaped from Aaron’s lips. “Something’s happened to Rob. He’s in the hospital.” His voice shook from stress and grief. “The police won’t tell me anything; they won’t let me see him, but he’s here and he’s hurt and I don’t know how bad it is.” He choked back a sob. “Vic needs to get here, but I can’t get ahold of her.” His voice came out muffled as he dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t want him to be alone, Adam.”

Adam stood stock still, his phone pressing painfully to his ear. His eyes moved back and forth, as if reading invisible words, as he processed what Aaron was saying. “What hospital?” Aaron told him. “Right, I’ll make sure Vic knows. We’ll get there as soon as we can, Aaron.” Adam could sense Aaron was nodding mutely on the other end of the line. “Hang in there. He’ll be alright.” Adam didn’t know this of course, but he hoped it was true for Vic and Aaron’s sakes. He didn’t want to think about how much damage it would do to both of them is Robert Sugden disappeared forever from their lives. He dialed Vic, hating having to tell her something that would make her cry.

* * * *  
Vic burst through the doors of the hospital twenty minutes later. Her eyes searched frantically until they found Aaron’s hunched, anxious form. She hurried over, towing Adam by the hand behind her. She stopped in front of Aaron, her earlier anger at him forgotten upon taking in his distress. “Aaron? Have they told you anything?” He peeked up at her through tear-filled eyes and shook his head. She turned and walked purposefully towards the front desk. “Excuse me,” she flagged down the nurse urgently, “I’m Robert Sugden’s sister.”

The nurse’s expression clouded, a sympathetic look on her face this time. “Of course. If you’ll follow me I’ll take you to see the doctor so he can fill you in.” 

Vic followed the nurse into a separate room. Aaron watched unblinkingly through the window inside, Adam grasping his shoulder comfortingly and looking in the same direction. Vic paced in front of the window for the few minutes it took for the doctor to join her. The doctor gestured for her to take a seat. She shook her head saying something like, ‘just tell me,’ and the doctor obliged, frowning. As he spoke, the little color still left in Vic’s face drained out, leaving her visage white and horrified. Tears rolled in torrents down her face, as she shook her head in consternation, a hand over her mouth.

Aaron stiffened into a statue beside Adam as they watched Vic cry. His thoughts ran in unending circles. He knew by now that Robert was not okay. He’d known from the moment he’d talked to the bartender hours before. But now he was afraid, so afraid, that the love of his life might not survive whatever happened to him, that there might be no chance for Aaron to beg for forgiveness and admit he was wrong. Worst case scenarios tormented him as he waited and watched.

The doctor put a hand on Vic’s shoulder in an uncharacteristic gesture of sympathy. Vic asked him something. He hesitated and then nodded and held out a hand, indicating she should go through the door first. She shuffled out, wiping her eyes, and, without sparing Aaron or Adam even a glance, began heading down the corridor, her back stiff and her tears flowing freely.

END of CHAPTER XI


	12. CHAPTER XII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic sits with Robert. Adam worries about how Aaron and Vic are coping. Aaron finally finds out how Robert is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsty, with mostly talking and descriptions of emotional states. I know it's kinda slow right now. The pace should pick up again soon though :) - I've just gotta get through all the exchanges of information first...
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys anyway :)

CHAPTER XII

Vic felt like she was sleepwalking, numb from horror at what the doctor had told her. How had this happened? Why? Why couldn’t her brother, who’d struggled so much for so long, finally just be happy? How could someone do this, hurt him like this? 

She hesitated at the door to his room, scared to see, scared to have the horror become real. The doctor turned the handle and guided her gently inside. The first thing she noticed was the plastic mask over his mouth and nose, helping him breathe. The next was the bandage around his head. She flashed back to the last time he’d been in the hospital after he’d gotten shot, shaking at the similarities and shivering at the differences. There was a dark bruise across his cheekbone, standing out starkly against his pale skin. There were other bruises too, bruises that formed the shape of a hand wrapped around his throat. Vic’s knees buckled and the doctor had to step in and help her remain upright. Her eyes continued to scan for injuries. There were bandages wrapped around both of his wrists. The doctor had told her Robert had most likely been restrained. 

She felt bile rise in the back of her throat and yanked herself away from the doctor just in time to get sick in the bin by the door. The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, delivering some unhelpful platitude. She just stared down at the floor, still on her knees, trembling. No. She couldn’t handle this. No. 

After a few minutes, the doctor tried to help her stand, but she brushed his hand away, pulling herself up by using the door handle and staggering over to Robert’s bedside. She clasped his hand, cautious of the bandages, and stared, heartbroken, down at her brother. The doctor said something. She took no notice. He left. A long time later, she noticed a chair had been brought in so she could sit by Robert’s bedside. She dragged it over, not letting go of Robert’s hand, and lowered herself into it. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from his face, praying desperately for him to open his eyes and still be the strong, confident, cocky brother she knew and loved. 

* * * *

Adam was worried. It had been nearly half an hour since Vic had gone with the doctor to see Robert and he hadn’t heard a word, hadn’t gotten even a text from her letting him know what was going on. Aaron was unnaturally still next to him. His eyes were full of torment and Adam could see the self-loathing on his face. He had hoped so desperately that he would never see Aaron with that look again. He turned to watch for signs of Vic returning, hoping she wouldn’t be too much longer.

* * * *

Vic wouldn’t leave Robert’s side. She knew Adam was waiting. She knew Aaron was falling apart. But none of that mattered. All that did matter was that she stayed with Robert and made sure that, when he woke up, he wasn’t alone. Everyone else could wait. Nothing else was important. 

She sighed, knowing Robert would be pissed at her if he woke up and found out she’d kept Aaron in the dark about his condition. Her brother was one of the prickliest people she knew, often pushing people’s buttons just for the fun of it. But when it came to Aaron, he was soft. She knew already that he would forgive Aaron for everything that’d happened the day before, that he would take him back in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t want his fiancé left to fall to pieces in the hospital waiting room, deprived completely of news and allowed to think the worst. 

She texted Adam, hoping her husband would know how best to deliver the information to Aaron. She left some parts out, the worst parts, not able to put them into words and not sure if her brother would want her to say anything. Robert had always been private, dealing with the hardships of life on his own, never comfortable with relying on other people for help. She laid her head down on her brother’s bed, resting her cheek near his hand, and closed her eyes, exhausted. 

* * * *

Adam nearly dropped his buzzing phone in his haste to remove it from his pocket. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw that he had gotten a text from Vic. He read what she’d wrote, concerned by the brusqueness of her writing. It didn’t sound like her. Aaron was staring at Adam, his expression half crazed with worry, waiting. Adam swallowed, hating the haunted look in Aaron’s eyes, and did his best to paraphrase Vic’s less-than-detailed text. “Vic says he’s got a head injury and some broken ribs. He was bleeding internally when he came in, but the doctors fixed him up in surgery. They told her he should make a full recovery.” 

Aaron sagged in his chair, tears welling up in his eyes as he sent a mental thank you to the universe. He sobbed uncontrollably after that, Adam rubbing his back and retelling him over and over that it was alright, that Rob was going to be okay. 

END of CHAPTER XII


	13. CHAPTER XIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic gets frustrated with the police on Robert's case. Aaron and Vic talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so sorry this is getting published a day later than usual. I don't know why but it took me extra long to write these two scenes... I think maybe it's because I was indecisive about basically every single character's feelings and reactions to everything... I was really tempted to have Vic be angry with Aaron, but then I decided to go with forgiveness and supportiveness instead. I hope you guys enjoy that choice; I got a little teary writing the Vic-Aaron scene if I'm being honest. 
> 
> But I'm a bit of a crybaby so...
> 
> Anyhow, I hope everyone enjoys! Thanks again for reading!

CHAPTER XIII

The two officers came walking back into the hospital some time after that. They made their way to Robert’s hospital room, where the nurse had told them they could find the victim’s sister. Having confirmed everything Aaron had told them, in addition to gaining a great deal of information on their new suspect, Mr. Strauss, from talking to Nicola, the officers were left needing only to hear from someone close to Robert whether Aaron ought to be allowed in to visit his fiancé. 

Vic was awake, but drowsy when they knocked on the door and entered the room. She turned to look at them, unconsciously grasping Robert’s hand a bit tighter in anticipation. “Officers… have you found something? Do you know who did this to my brother?” 

One of the officers stepped forward to address Vic. “We’ve got a strong suspect. That’s actually why we’re here.” He paused, thinking about how to word such a sensitive question. “We’ve confirmed Mr. Dingle’s story. Everything he told us was true. That being said…” He exchanged an uncomfortable glance with his partner. “With cases like these, the most common perpetrator of the crime is the spouse or the… significant other, if you will. We can’t confirm Mr. Dingle’s alibi since he was home alone, which means, while unlikely, he still could be the one responsible for—“

Vic cut him off, her previously astonished expression now replaced with annoyance. “Is that why Aaron wasn’t allowed in here? He’s a suspect!?” She shook her head. “Aaron would never do something like this. He’s too good a person. Plus, he loves my brother. He could never hurt him.” 

The officer that had remained quiet up till then piped up, his expression irritated. “Miss, while your vouching for Mr. Dingle’s character is honorable, it doesn’t help us determine whether or not he poses a danger to your brother. What we need, what we’re here for, is information about this fight that Mr. Dingle and Mr. Sugden are supposed to have had. Did Mr. Dingle express his anger physically? Did he give any indication that he intended to hurt your brother, then or later on?”

“No, of course not! Like I said—!” Vic started to say, upset. 

The officer cut her off. “It’s interesting you say that because the other witnesses to the fight said Mr. Dingle was fairly rough with your brother. They said they heard more than one loud thud, like someone was getting pushed into a wall or a door.”

Vic was angry now and she started shouting. “It wasn’t like that. He wasn’t trying to hurt Rob; he was just trying to get him to leave!” The officers both raised an eyebrow at her. Her frustration grew. “Aaron didn’t do this! So help me, if you keep him from coming in this room and sitting with his hospitalized fiancé because you’re both too blind to see that he’s innocent…” She spluttered, not sure what she could threaten two police officers with.

One officer held up a hand, shushing the other officer who had opened his mouth to respond angrily. “We understand this is a friend of yours. We’re not trying to upset you. We’re just doing our job: trying to make sure we don’t let your brother’s attacker get near him again.” All the anger seemed to ebb out of Vic, leaving her looking tired and teary. “If you’re confident Mr. Dingle doesn’t pose a threat, we’ll tell the hospital staff to let him into your brother’s room.” The other officer glowered at his partner. 

Vic’s shoulders relaxed in relief. “Thank you.”

The one officer nodded a your welcome and shepherded his fuming partner out the door. 

* * * *

Vic looked at Robert, her brow furrowing. Aaron was going to know. He was going to know as soon as he saw her brother what had happened. She stood up and went to stand right outside the door to the room, shutting it behind her. She didn’t want Aaron walking in unprepared for what he was going to see.

Barely a minute later, Aaron came walking around the corner, his expression uncertain and anxious, wondering if Robert would even want him there. Aaron shook his head at himself. He was going to be there when Rob woke up; he was going to make sure his fiancé knew that he loved him. And if Rob wanted to kick him out once he was awake… he would deal with that. 

Aaron’s heart beat faster at the sight of Vic standing outside the door to Robert’s room. “Vic?” He asked as he approached her.

She looked uncomfortable, not meeting his eyes as she began speaking. “Aaron, I just wanted to talk to you, before you went in there.” She paused, not knowing how to start. Aaron waited, his brows knitting together as he watched Vic struggle for words. Finally, she spoke softly, as if her intonation could cushion the blow. “It’s bad, Aaron. I… I couldn’t say everything before, when I texted Adam. It’s just too… it’s too horrible and I couldn’t bring myself to say it. But… I don’t want you walking in there and finding out when you… when you see.” Vic trailed off, her voice strained from trying not to start crying again.

Aaron’s face had frozen into a stiff mask, his eyes darkening as he gazed down at Vic knowingly. His knuckles turned white as his hands tightened into fists. “I know.” He said. “I already know.” 

Vic looked up quickly, reading the barely contained fury cut with an edge of madness in Aaron’s expression. She stuttered, confused. “How could you possibly…?”

A muscle in Aaron’s jaw twitched as he focused on a spot on the wall behind Vic’s head. “I went looking for him, Vic, after I talked to you. I realized I had to try and apologize, to try and fix…” Aaron tried to blink back the tears that materialized as he remembered the moment he’d comprehended how big of a mistake he’d made throwing Robert out. “I drove around, showing the picture I have of him on my phone to every bartender within driving distance of Emmerdale. And I found someone who’d seen him.” He stopped speaking, taking a breath before resuming. “He told me he saw Rob get upset about something this guy showed him on his phone, that they were arguing about…” Aaron smashed his eyes shut and ground his teeth together in frustration. He took another deep breath to calm himself so he could keep speaking. “About Liv.”

“Liv? As in your sister, Liv?” Vic asked, her voice higher pitched than usual.

“That’s what the guy heard. Liv.” Aaron scrubbed his face, leaving a hand over his eyes as he continued. “Then the guy put something in Rob’s drink and told him to drink it.” Aaron’s hand dropped from his face, revealing his defeated expression. “And he did.” 

Vic watched Aaron’s face horrified. “Are you saying the guy who did this threatened Liv to force my brother to…?” She trailed off, unable to say it. Aaron flinched as if she had. “Do you know who did this?” She asked in a horrified whisper. 

Aaron nodded jerkily, his anger returning. “The investor for Rob’s company.” Aaron was practically spitting. “He’s tried blackmail before. The reason I kicked Rob out… it was because I thought he’d agreed, that he was going to see him… to give in.” Aaron clenched his fists tightly. “But I got it wrong. I… I’m the reason he was such an easy target.” Aaron confessed in a brittle voice.

Vic put her hands on both sides of Aaron’s face, forcing him to look at her. “This. Is. Not. Your. Fault.” She said each word with vehemence. “Robert would hate it if you spent even one second blaming yourself for this.” Aaron’s eyes flickered downward, disbelieving. “He would and I’m sure he’ll tell you that when he finally decides to wake up.” Aaron’s eyes rose back to meet hers, searching for any trace of dishonesty, any indication at all that she didn’t really believe what she was saying. His expression cleared slightly and he nodded at her when he found none. She glanced at the door to Robert’s room and then back at Aaron. “Are you ready to go in?” Her tone was somber once more. 

Aaron’s eyes flickered to the door and he swallowed back the dread. He moved forward and reached for the doorknob with a shaking hand, a cold pit in his stomach, chilling his insides and sending freezing tentacles snaking around his heart.

END of CHAPTER XIII


	14. CHAPTER XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron sees Robert. Adam tries to help. Aaron and Vic come to an upsetting realization.

CHAPTER XIV

Aaron ambled into Robert’s hospital room, Vic trailing behind him. His gaze lifted slowly, uneasily to rest on the bruised face of his fiancé. His eyes travelled from the bandages on his head to the bandages on his wrists to the bruises decorating his arms to the handprint shaped bruise wrapping around his throat. He sucked in a breath, feeling like he’d been punched in the stomach. His eyes went unfocused as his mind rejected the sight. No. His pulse was pounding in his ears. No. He was sobbing, unable to look. No. 

Knowing what had happened was one thing. Seeing it was another. 

Vic’s hand was on his arm. She was watching his reaction, her eyes reflecting back the same sorrow and grief. She led him over and sat him down in the chair she had previously occupied. “You sit with him for a while. I’ll give you a moment.” She squeezed his shoulder gently and kissed Robert lightly on the forehead before leaving the room.

He sat there, his vision blurred with tears, clasping Robert’s hand tightly with both of his. He watched Robert’s chest rise and fall, listened to the beeping of the monitors, and wished with all of his heart that he could take back the last few days, that he could prevent this atrocity, that he could keep Robert safe. 

But life never did work that way. So, he laid his head down on the bed, rubbed a callused finger in soothing circles on the back of Robert’s hand, and tried to just be thankful that his fiancé was alive.

* * * *

Vic walked aimlessly around the hospital, too tired to cry anymore. She felt gutted. It had physically hurt to see Aaron’s reaction when he walked into that room. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to help Aaron right now? She knew Rob would expect her to do everything she could to keep Aaron from falling apart, to keep him sane. But how? How could she help Aaron when she could barely hold herself together? 

She looked up to find her feet had unconsciously walked her to the waiting room. Adam was there, standing up quickly from his seat and half running over to where she was. He enveloped her in a hug, holding her up as her knees went all wobbly and she collapsed into his embrace. And then she was crying again, buckets and buckets, while Adam just whispered soothing words into her ear.

* * * *

Vic walked back into the hospital room some time later, Adam following worriedly behind her. He stopped short in the doorway as he got his first look at Robert. He took in Aaron’s crushed form, his cheek resting against Robert’s hand, his eyes red rimmed and puffy. He watched Vic trudge over and sit across from Aaron. She took Robert’s other hand up in her own and gazed at his sleeping face. Oh. 

It was so much worse than he had realized. Adam’s gaze bounced back and forth between two of the people he loved most in the world, Vic, Aaron, Vic, Aaron, Vic, Aaron. They both looked so broken down, so emotionally raw. He pulled up a chair next to Vic and rested a hand on her shoulder, hoping he could provide even the tiniest bit of comfort. He kept a wary eye on Aaron. 

Aaron heard Adam and Vic come in, but he couldn’t muster up the energy to lift his head. He could feel Adam watching and worrying. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered except Robert waking up. He squeezed his eyes shut. Wake up.

* * * *  
They were all exhausted. Adam had tried to convince both of them to go get something to eat, to take a break, but they couldn’t leave Robert. They couldn’t drag their attention away for even a moment. He needed them and they needed to be there, watching over him. So Adam excused himself, saying he was going to grab something to eat, that he’d be back as soon as he could, that he’d try to bring some food back for them. They didn’t even acknowledged his exit, not moving or speaking. 

Vic sighed and glanced at Aaron, an upsetting thought occurring to her as she did. “Aaron…” He raised his head to look at her with lifeless eyes. She continued in a hoarse voice, her brows knitting together with distress. “Do you realize that if you hadn’t gone looking for Rob, no one would know he was in the hospital right now. No one would even know he was hurt.” Aaron’s brows furrowed. “He had no ID on him when he came in; he was a John Doe… so none of his family, not you or me or Diane, would have been contacted. He would be lying here all alone right now.” 

Aaron’s eyes travelled to Robert’s face, his forehead crinkling as he realized the truth of Vic’s words. They wouldn’t have known. They would have been going about their daily lives, none the wiser that Robert had been through hell. He would be here by himself, no one holding his hand, no one waiting to comfort him when he woke up. Aaron shuddered, greatly saddened by the possibility. 

Vic was staring at Robert, tormenting herself with the same chilling line of speculation. “I thought he’d left town.” She added in a shaky whisper. Aaron froze. Vic continued, not noticing. “I thought he was gone, that he wouldn’t be coming back. I would never have gone looking…” She trailed off, deeply troubled.

Aaron’s eyes went unfocused as he went back over what he knew about the timeline of the previous night in his head. He spoke in a horrified undertone. “You said Robert cleared his stuff out of your garage.”

Vic’s eyes flashed to Aaron’s face, his tone eliciting nervous tremors in her hands. “Yes.” She answered, not understanding.

Aaron’s wide eyes flicked up to meet Vic’s. “But Robert was in a bar getting wasted and then… he was at the hotel.” Vic’s mouth fell open with a petrified gasp. “Which means he never went to your place to get his stuff…”

Vic finished in a disturbed whisper. “Which means someone else did.”

Aaron grasped Robert’s hand tightly, needing the contact to reign in his fury. He spat the next words, livid. “That son of a bitch didn’t want us to come looking. He wanted us to think Robert had left town.” Aaron’s eyes darkened. “And that means he probably wasn’t done.”

END of CHAPTER XIV


	15. CHAPTER XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Vic make some calls. Adam is confused. Mr. Strauss makes plans. Chas worries. Liv gets upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaahhhh! Sorry it's taking me so long to update now... I'm having major writer's block :/ I just can't seem to find the right words... 
> 
> Anyhow, hope you enjoy what I managed to eek out. I'll do my best to update again soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

CHAPTER XV

Had Aaron not been tethered by his iron grip on Robert’s hand, he would have been pacing back and forth, sentry-like, in front of the door. Robert was in danger. He still wasn’t safe. Aaron growled, trying to keep his anger in check. “You’ve got to tell the police about this, Vic. They need to put some officers outside the door.” 

Vic was staring with frightened eyes at Robert’s face. “Why is this happening…?” She asked in a whisper, her teary eyes flicking up to Aaron’s. “Why is this happening to him?”

Aaron’s anger melted momentarily as he met Vic’s eyes and said shakily. “I don’t know.” And then he was back to business. “Vic, call the police. They’re more likely to listen to you.”

Vic nodded, fumbling for her phone. Aaron angled his chair so he could keep any eye on the door without letting go of Robert’s hand. No one was getting anywhere near Robert. Not on his watch.

* * * *

When Adam walked back in about ten minutes later with food he’d snuck out of the cafeteria under his jacket, he noticed the tension pressing down like an invisible pillow on the room. He stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do, bewildered by Vic and Aaron’s suddenly tensed, protective postures.

Vic was clasping her phone so tightly her knuckles were white as she listened to the line being transferred over to the lead officer she had talked to before. She stood sharply as a voice came on the other line. “Yes, this is Victoria Barton. My brother is Robert Sugden.” She listened to the officer on the other end of the line. Her brow furrowed and her eyes shot up to meet Aaron’s in confirmation. She stepped hurriedly out of the room saying. “Yes, that’s actually why I was calling…”

Adam sent a last confused look in Aaron’s direction before following after Vic out into the hallway.

After a few moments of staring at the empty doorway, Aaron pulled out his own phone. He dialed Cain’s number. 

Ring. Ring. Cain answered in his gruff, no nonsense voice. “Aaron, what is it? I’m busy.”

Aaron paused and then spoke in a sinister rumble. “I need you to do something for me.”

* * * *

Mr. Strauss was not a man that often got taken for a fool. He thought everything he did out carefully. If he wanted something, he found a way to get it. And very recently, he’d done just that. It started with the pictures. He’d seen Robert there first. And then he’d found out where he lived, where he worked, and so on. He’d reached out, pretending to be interested in investing. When money didn’t do the trick, he used the pictures for blackmail. And when that didn’t work, he got his hands dirty. 

Threatening children was one of those below-the-belt things that most people just wouldn’t stand for. But Mr. Strauss wasn’t bound by ethical boundaries or morality clauses. That’s what made him rich and successful and entitled to whatever or whoever he chose to lay claim to. 

He’d won the object of his desire. He’d taken what he wanted. He’d planned everything out carefully so no one would come looking, so no one would question where Robert was. He’d had everything within his grasp, had Robert dancing in the palm of his hand. And then he made a mistake. He underestimated his prey. 

He had taken off the restraints just in case housekeeping ignored the do not disturb sign and came into the hotel room anyway. He’d left Robert alone, far too injured to move, without any money, and without clothes. He’d been gone an hour and forty-five minutes. And when he returned, he found an empty hotel room, an abandoned shopping bag devoid of its contents, and some unfamiliar charges on his hotel bill. 

He was livid. No one took him for a fool. His car pulled up beside the Woolpack.

* * * *

Chas was getting anxious. She hadn’t heard from Aaron since he’d driven off like a madman the day before to go look for Robert. Now they were both completely off the radar and Aaron wouldn’t answer his phone. She’d left him innumerable messages that grew less motherly and increasingly pissed as more and more time passed without a reply. Now she was sitting at the kitchen table, tapping an impatient finger on the tabletop, staring at her aggravatingly silent cell phone.

Liv was blaring music in her room, pretending not to care that the only real family she had ever known was falling apart. She was listening to Jake Bugg sing about brokenness, wiping harshly at her eyes as they filled with tears. She couldn’t stem the flow and quickly gave up trying, letting her tears roll down her cheeks and splash onto her bed. And then she was sobbing gently, her eyes scrunched closed, hugging her pillow to her chest. Just when she thought everything had worked itself out, that she was finally where she was supposed to be, it all went to shit. 

A knock sounded on the door. Liv wiped her nose, sniffling, and exited her room. She came curiously, hopefully, down the stairs. Maybe it was Robert. Maybe he’d come back. Maybe her family wasn’t beyond saving. 

Chas circled around the corner, spotting Liv coming down the stairs. She frowned. Who would be knocking at their door at this hour? It couldn’t be Aaron… he wouldn’t knock; he’d just come right in. It seemed unlikely that it’d be Robert as he had supposedly left town. She reached for the deadbolt, pausing with her hand mid-reach. 

“Who’s there?”

END of CHAPTER XV


	16. CHAPTER XVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chas answers the door. Vic finds out more about Mr. Strauss. Aaron gets murderous. Aaron and Vic intimidate the nursing staff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I finally finished the sixteenth chapter! Sorry for making everyone wait; I hope you enjoy what I came up with. I'll try and get the next chapter out quicker than I did this one.

CHAPTER XVI

“Cain?” Chas asked, bewildered, as she yanked the door open. Cain didn’t respond, striding purposefully inside with a deadly serious look on his face and scanning the downstairs with suspicious eyes. Chas trailed behind him, baffled by his behavior. “Er… Cain? What’s going on?”

Cain turned to face her and Liv, who had travelled the rest of the way down the stairs and come to stand by Chas. “Aaron asked me to come and make sure the two of you were safe.” His eyes continued to search the room.

Chas’s brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t we be safe?” She exchanged a glance with Liv. “Wait! Does that mean you’ve actually spoken with Aaron?” She asked, spluttering slightly. 

Cain nodded. “He wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but he was really worried about you and Liv. He told me he’d call when he could and to stay here with you two until I hear back from him.” 

Chas shook her head, not satisfied with such scant information. “He didn’t say why he was worried? He didn’t tell you where he was?”

“Was he alright?” Liv piped up before Cain could do anything more than shake his head and shrug in answer to Chas’s questions. “On the phone… did he sound alright?” Liv was anxious. It wasn’t like her brother not to call and let them know where he was and what was going on. It wasn’t like him not to come home.

Cain met Liv’s eyes evenly. “He sounded worried, but he didn’t sound like he’d been hurt or anything like that. I would have pressed him more if I’d thought he had.” A crease formed between Liv’s eyebrows. Then why hadn’t he called?

* * * *

Vic couldn’t handle much more of this. Every time she came upon a new piece of information, it seemed to make the situation her brother was in appear even more dire. The police had been unsurprised to hear that Mr. Strauss had removed her brother’s things from her home in the middle of the night. “Ma’am, since we last spoke we attained a warrant to search Mr. Strauss’s residence. There were… various signs that he’s been stalking your brother for a while now. We also found a fake passport made for Mr. Sugden. It looks like he was planning to smuggle your brother out of the country.” Vic dropped her phone and it clattered to the floor. 

Adam, who’d been waiting and watching silently nearby, stooped to pick the phone up. Vic snatched it back from him without a word, pressing it to her ear and asking, “Who is this person?” She hissed the last word, hating more than she’d ever hated before.

The officer paused on the other end of the line. “Mr. Strauss appears to be an alias. He doesn’t show up in the criminal database. He’s never been fingerprinted. What we know so far about him is purely based on rumor…” He trailed off ominously.

“What do the rumors say?” Vic asked in a whisper.

Another pause. “He has mob connections of some kind, not direct. It looks like he might handle large, under-the-table monetary transactions for… various groups.” 

Vis responded in a scared whisper. “Can the police protect my brother?”

The officer was quick to answer this time, his words dripping confidence. “Yes ma’am. We’ve already dispatched officers to keep watch outside your brother’s room at the hospital. We’ll keep him safe.”

Vic clasped the phone tightly, desperate to believe him. “Good. Thank you.” She finally responded. 

“Goodbye Ma’am.”

“Goodbye officer.” Vic let the hand holding her phone fall to her side. Adam was in front of her, talking to her, asking her what the police had said. She just stared blankly back, exhausted, horrified, bewildered, terrified, all at the same time. She swayed on her feet. 

Adam steadied her, leading her back down the hall towards Robert’s room. “I’ve got you. Come on, let’s get you back to your brother. Be strong, babe.”

* * * *

When Vic returned to the room, she relayed the information she’d just received to Aaron, whose gaze remained on Robert’s face the entire time she spoke. A muscle twitched in his jaw, a steely glint came into his eyes, and he didn’t speak right away after Vic finished. And then, his eyes still trained on Robert, he was growling, deadly calm, murderously angry. “He’s dead. I don’t care what kind of connections he has. I don’t care if he’s got dangerous friends. If he shows up in front of me, if he gets anywhere near Rob again, he’s a dead man.”

* * * *

Aaron and Vic gave such death glares to the nursing staff when they told them visiting hours were over, that the nurses withdrew, apologizing and saying Vic and Aaron were free to stay, as they left. Adam and Vic fell asleep, Vic’s head resting on Adam’s shoulder and Adam’s head lolling forward awkwardly.

Aaron couldn’t sleep. He lay with his head resting on the bed next to Robert’s hand, his eyes trained restlessly on the door. Every gurney rolling by, every footfall, every swish of movement kept him alert, his adrenaline pumping, his heart beating abnormally quickly. 

That’s why the small rustle of sheets behind him went unnoticed among the cacophony of other sounds echoing in from the hall. He didn’t hear the shuddering intake of breath, didn’t see Robert’s eyelids flutter open, didn’t notice Robert reach up and pull his breathing mask off with weak trembling fingers. 

Robert’s voice floated up from behind; a soft, perplexed, unsteady utterance.

“Aaron?”

END of CHAPTER XVI


	17. CHAPTER XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron... finally!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being evil with the cliff hangers last chapter ;D 
> 
> But I have to admit, even when you're pissed at me, all of your comments make me so happy- thanks so much for reading! <3
> 
> Hope you enjoy! I'll try to post again as soon as I can :)

CHAPTER XVII

Aaron lifted his head, half convinced he had imagined Robert’s voice. He turned around slowly, trying not to get his hopes up. Two green eyes were looking back at him. Aaron’s eyes went glassy with tears and he bowed his head, so relieved and so grateful. Robert was awake. He was finally awake.

Robert reacted immediately to Aaron’s distress, reaching out instinctually. His hand paused just above Aaron’s arm, unsure, suddenly hesitant. He didn’t know where they stood now. He wasn’t sure if he could hold Aaron’s hand, if he could touch him in a familiar way. Maybe Aaron was only there out of obligation, because he was too kind to leave even the worst kind of person alone in a medical emergency. Robert withdrew his hand. 

It would be presumptuous to assume Aaron being there meant he’d changed his mind about ending their relationship. Last time he’d seen Aaron… everything had fallen apart. The wound was still fresh and festering. ‘This is what you do. You muck things up and then you drag everyone else into your mess and make things a thousand times worse trying to cover it up.’ ‘I see you now.’ ‘I’m done. I’m finally done.’ Robert’s eyes clouded. No, he shouldn’t assume anything.

It took a moment for Aaron to collect his wits and sort through the emotional tidal wave Robert’s waking up had triggered. He raised his eyes to look at the man he loved, the start of a pleading apology forming on his tongue. His words dried up as he perceived the closed-off, cautious expression on Robert’s face. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and forced the words out. “Rob, I’m so—“

Aaron’s words were cut off abruptly as a recently woken Vic threw herself at her brother. “Oh my God! Rob, you’re awake!” Robert flinched visibly at the physical contact. Vic was moving too fast to notice, but Aaron’s eyes flashed black and angry at the sight. He looked down at his lap, trying to control his expression before Robert could notice. Vic remained oblivious, pulling back from the hug and wiping at her eyes. “We’ve been so worried.” She looked away, embarrassed at her crying. 

Robert had fixed the semblance of a smile on his face, his mask firmly in place, by the time Vic looked back. “I’m sorry, Vic.” 

She shook her head at him, avoiding his eyes. “It’s not your fault.” Robert’s expression hardened at the break in her voice. 

She knew. And if she knew… His eyes widened and flicked to meet Aaron’s. And he saw what he hadn’t seen there before, the dead, half-crazed look in Aaron’s eyes, the guilt, the worry. He looked down at his lap, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. “How did the two of you… even know I was here?” He asked quietly.

Vic spoke up, her brows furrowing at the change in Robert’s tone. “Aaron went looking for you, found some people who’d seen you and knew where you’d gone.”

Robert’s eyes flashed into Aaron’s. “You came looking for me?” His voice came out unsure, the slightest bit hopeful, but careful.

Aaron felt like a knife was twisting in his heart. He’d done this, made Robert feel like he’d been abandoned once more by someone who was supposed to love him unconditionally. And now he was lying in a hospital bed not knowing who he could rely on, not knowing that Aaron loved him more than life itself, not knowing that he wasn’t alone. He didn’t trust their connection any more. His walls were up. Aaron’s voice cracked with sadness as he answered. “Of course I did.” 

Robert’s eyes searched his. “Why?” He whispered, confounded, a disconsolate edge to his voice that told Aaron exactly how deeply his words two days ago had hurt his fiancé. Robert had believed him, had taken what he’d said to heart, had internalized every harsh, hateful word.

Aaron swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I realized that I’d made a huge mistake, that I’d gotten it so wrong. I should’ve believed you. I shouldn’t have assumed the worst. I screwed up so bad, Rob. I let you down.” The whole time he spoke, his gaze never left Robert’s face, his deeply felt regret and overwhelming sincerity burning in his eyes. 

Robert looked back, reading on Aaron’s face everything his fiancé couldn’t express with words. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He was getting Aaron back. He was getting his family back. He was getting his future back. He had something good to hang onto, something to live for, someone to live for.

Aaron bowed his head, tears choking his voice. “I’m so sorry.” 

Robert reached out, placing his hand gently against Aaron’s wet cheek, and swiped his thumb lightly to wipe away the tears. Aaron closed his eyes at Robert’s touch. 

“You’re here now. That’s what matters.” 

END of CHAPTER XVII


	18. CHAPTER XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert talks to the police and makes a promise to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! I wanted to do more mushy scenes with Aaron and Robert, but the storyline got in the way dammit. 
> 
> Anyhow, I'll be looking for any opportunity to add more fluff. The story could use some fluff...
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

CHAPTER XVIII

Robert and Aaron stayed like that for a while, Robert’s hand resting against Aaron’s cheek, Aaron gazing at him with tear-filled eyes, both of them emanating profound relief that they could be together again. 

A knock on the door broke the spell and they both turned to see Vic and Adam coming back inside. “So you two have made up then?” Vic asked, knowing the answer and pleased by it. 

Robert and Aaron both nodded. Aaron spoke, the joy at getting the love of his life back coloring his voice. “I didn’t even notice you two had gone, to be honest.” Robert smiled sheepishly, not having noticed either.

Vic smiled at the two of them. “I figured you both needed a moment. I would have stayed out of your way for longer, but… the police are here.” She looked at Robert, whose expression had gone blank. “They want to talk to you, Rob.”

Robert nodded, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. “Fine.” 

Aaron glanced anxiously at Vic as he stood to leave. He turned back to Robert before walking out the door. “We’ll see you in just a bit.” 

Robert looked at him, reading the worry on his face. “It’ll be fine. See you in a bit.” Aaron nodded, still uneasy, and walked out the door.

* * * *

Robert looked on coldly as the two officers entered his room. 

The taller one stepped forward to address him. “Mr. Sugden, it’s good to finally meet you. We’re the lead detectives on your case.” Robert frowned at him, saying nothing. “We’ve been working on your case while you’ve been unconscious, but now that you’re awake, there’s a good chance that something you saw or heard might help us to find your attacker. Can you tell us what you remember?”

Robert’s eyes clouded. He didn’t want to do this, relive what had happened to him, especially not for complete strangers. He settled for being as brief as possible. “The guy’s name is Strauss, but you probably already know that. He was supposed to be an investor in the company I’m part owner of. He threatened my… he threated Aaron’s sister Liv.” Robert paused focusing on an arbitrary spot on the wall behind the officer’s head. “He spiked my drink. I drank it. I woke up somewhere else.” He scratched self-consciously at the bandages around his wrists, still averting his eyes. “I… passed out and when I woke up later, he was gone so I got a ride here.” Robert looked up at the knowing eyes of the lead detective, his voice quiet now. “Are you close to making an arrest?”

The officer nodded. “We have more than enough evidence. Now that we have your personal testimony, we can move forward with issuing an APB.” The officers exchanged a look. “That being said, it may be quite difficult to track Mr. Strauss down. He’s likely operating under a different name by now.”

Robert looked back and forth between the officers, a crease forming between his brows. “What are you talking about? He’s a businessman… surely he shouldn’t be that difficult to…” He trailed off upon glimpsing the officers’ expressions, seeing there that he was operating under a false assumption. “He’s not a businessman, is he?” Rob corrected himself quietly.

“No, Mr. Sugden. He’s not.” They went on to tell him of their suspicions of Mr. Strauss and his relations to gang activity in the surrounding area. 

Robert was frowning by the end. He should have known. How could a regular businessman get ahold of such sensitive photographs? How could a regular businessman threaten a child without blinking an eye? How could a regular businessman stomach doing the kinds of things he had done when they were alone in that room? He was dealing with someone dangerous, someone willing to cross ethical boundaries that he wasn’t, someone willing to threaten the people important to him. 

“We’ve stationed officers outside your room, all of the medical staff have been briefed on the situation, and additional security measures are being undertaken to make sure you’re protected. We’ll also be assigning a security detail to your sister, Mr. Dingle, and his family.”

Robert watched the officers’ faces as he spoke. “If he’s got the connections you say he does, he’s probably out of the country by now. So why are you talking like he’s still a threat?” He asked, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

The officers exchanged another look. “We have reason to believe Mr. Strauss was stalking you, that he chose you as a target long before your first meeting. From the items we found in his home, it seems he intended to smuggle you out of the country under a different name. He also seems to have removed your things from your sister’s home to give off the appearance that you’d left town so none of your friends or family would come looking for you.” 

Robert stared down at his hands, willing them to stop shaking as he absorbed what the officers said. A thought occurred to him. “Why would he leave me alone in that hotel room then? I wasn’t even… I wasn’t even restrained or anything when I woke up.”

The lead officer looked at him kindly. “Mr. Sugden, your injuries were quite severe. There’s a good chance Mr. Strauss thought you were too hurt to get up and leave. He probably didn’t even think you would wake up before he got back.” Robert blanched, realizing now how lucky he’d been to get out of that room before Strauss came back. “We did confirm with the hotel that he returned to the room after you departed. It’s unlikely he would have done that for any other reason than to… collect you.” Robert closed his eyes, fear seeping into his bloodstream. 

It wasn’t over. 

Strauss wasn’t done with him. He felt cold with dread. That meant Aaron was in danger. Liv was in danger. Chas. Vic. Diane. Everyone he cared about. They were all potential targets. 

He opened his eyes again, forcing himself to control the terror, push it down, squash it. He couldn’t fall apart now. He couldn’t panic. His loved ones were in peril because of him, because he loved them, because they could be used against him. His eyes glazed over and he shuddered as he resolved to not let anyone get hurt, not for him. If the police couldn’t protect the people important to him, he would do it. 

No matter what that might mean for him, no matter what he had to do, he would keep them safe.

END of CHAPTER XVIII


	19. CHAPTER XIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron chat. The police deliver some news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Super mean cliffhanger ahead. I apologize in advance. I'll try to publish the next chapter soon so you don't have to hang for too long.
> 
> Don't hate me!

CHAPTER XIX

Aaron’s leg bounced up and down with nervous energy as he waited for the officers to come back out of Robert’s room. He wished he could be in there. He didn’t like Robert being out of his sight for even a second right now. And he wasn’t happy about not being able to hold Robert’s hand and help him through this part, the part where he found out what the police knew, where he found out he still wasn’t safe. He watched the door. 

It was taking too long.

Aaron stood up and started pacing back and forth and back and forth, running his hands through his hair, growing more and more agitated. Vic grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop walking, and pulled him down beside her. His leg started bouncing again. It was taking too damn long.

He started at the opening of the door. The police walked out looking serious, aiming a nod in their direction before leaving down the long hallway. Aaron jumped up and made his way to the door, pausing when he got there. He knocked lightly. “Rob? Can we come in?”

On the other side of the door, Robert sat with hooded eyes, listening to Aaron’s voice, hating the underlying questions. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Are you scared?’ ‘Do you need to be alone?’ He wished Aaron didn’t know. He wished he could just pretend it hadn’t happened. He knew how to deal with pain, but he had no idea how to deal with this, with other people’s sympathy. How was he supposed to look Aaron in the eye, see the pity there, know that Aaron knew he’d been at some despicable man’s mercy? How was he supposed to cope with the fact that Aaron would never look at him the same again? He felt so weak and small and helpless and he didn’t want Aaron to see that, to see him like that. He sighed and aimed his gaze out the window. “Yes, you can come in.” 

Aaron pushed the door open slowly, as if scared to startle him. He moved quietly over to sit back down by Robert’s bedside. Robert aimed an annoyed glare in his direction, miffed by the tiptoeing around. The annoyance faded quickly when he saw the look on Aaron’s face. It wasn’t what he expected. 

Aaron looked scared, scared for him, his face white, his eyes wide, his posture stiff, as if he was ready to jump to Robert’s defense at a moment’s notice. “Rob… You don’t have to worry.” His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed. “That man won’t get anywhere near you ever again.” Robert stiffened, blinking in surprise at the jolt of fear that coursed through him at the mention of Strauss. His eyes went unfocused and his hands clutched at the sheets beneath them. 

Aaron watched the effect his words had, saw how Robert grew pale, how he withdrew into himself. He hated it. He hated that look in Robert’s eyes, like he was reliving something horrible inside his head. Aaron reached out, taking Robert’s hand, moving slowly so as not to startle him. Robert’s eyes flicked up into his, frightened, confused, searching for comfort. Aaron looked back steadily, desperately sincere. “I’ve got you. I swear I’ve got you, Rob.”

* * * *

"This is dispatch. No one is answering the door at the Dingle residence. We're entering the dwelling." There was a loud crunch as the deadlock gave way and the door swung open with a bang. The officers moved through the rooms, their guns at the ready, taking in the wreckage. The place had been torn apart, shattered glass strewn about the floor, doors ripped off cabinets, every piece of furniture upturned. The officers pressed the button on their coms, frowning worriedly. "There's been a break in and no one is here. We might be looking at an abduction." 

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I'll inform Mr. Dingle."

* * * *

Vic rejoined Robert and Aaron in the hospital room some time later, claiming she had run out for some food. They knew she'd been giving them time to talk by themselves though. It had helped. Robert felt less uncomfortable now. It was out there. Aaron knew what had happened and he was processing it by being overprotective and staying strong for him. Robert could live with that. 

He worried, though, worried that, if something happened to him now, Aaron wouldn't be able to cope with the loss so soon after they had found each other again. It was strange how the fear he felt for himself was so completely overshadowed by the worry for his fiancé, tugging at his mind and dragging the corners of his mouth down into a permanent frown. He'd have to talk to Vic, to go over the what-ifs, the worst possible outcomes. He wanted Aaron taken care of if he didn't make it through this.

"Stop it." Aaron said quietly. 

Robert peeked up at him, quirking an eyebrow in confusion when he saw that Aaron was talking to him. "Stop what?"

Aaron looked pissed. "Stop sitting there worrying about me. I'm fine, Rob." 

Robert gaped at him. "You don't know what I was-"

Aaron interrupted his denial. "I know exactly what you're thinking. You've got that face you always have right before you do something stupid to help me."

Robert stared. "I don't make a face when I'm going to... I'm not that transparent!" He saw Vic and Aaron exchanged an exasperated look. "Am I?" Vic avoided his eyes. Robert looked back and forth between them. "When did that happen?" He asked, bewildered by the idea that he had become such an open book to the people closest to him. He found it quite off-putting. 

He shook himself, slightly dazed. His eyes rose to meet Aaron’s, a resignation in them that had Aaron shaking his head before Robert even began speaking. “Aaron, if something happens to me—“ He stopped talking at the warning in Aaron’s eyes. 

Aaron was practically growling at him. “We’re not having that conversation, Rob. No.” He turned away.

Robert spoke softly, choosing his words carefully. “I can’t stop worrying about you, not until I’ve made sure you’ll be alright, even if things don’t go the way we want them to.” Aaron was shaking his head again, his eyes going glassy with tears. “I need you to promise me that you won’t blame yourself, that you won’t hurt yourself.” Aaron closed his eyes, trying to block out the thought of life without Robert. “Aaron, please, promise me.” 

Aaron blinked back his tears, a few escaping down his cheeks. His voice came out hoarse with emotion. “Nothing is going to happen to you.” 

Robert tilted his head. “Promise me anyway.” 

Aaron grimaced, still not meeting Robert’s eyes. “I promise.” He whispered it, but Robert could hear the sincerity. He breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing back into his bed. Aaron watched him, a thousand emotions washing over him, wondering how he’d managed to find someone that loved him so much. 

* * * *

Vic was once again wandering the halls, giving her brother and his fiancé some space. She was getting very good at sneaking out of the room without their noticing. She sighed. They were so engrossed with each other. It was beautiful to see, her brother totally in love, finally himself. Even though they had a lot of horribly difficult things to work through, she finally was starting to feel truly hopeful that they would. Vic glimpsed Adam down a deserted hallway, his phone pressed to his ear, his brow furrowed, his movements jerky and agitated, just before he turned around a corner and disappeared once more. She shivered, suddenly feeling a chill run down her spine. She wondered what that was about. 

A sudden onslaught of footsteps behind her had her spinning around only to find herself face to face with the two police officers she’d spoken to at length earlier. They stopped in front of her, looking exceptionally grim. “We need to speak to Mr. Dingle. Urgently.”

She nodded, going pale. Why did they need to speak to Aaron? She led the officers down the hallway, back to her brother’s room, motioning for them to enter first.

Aaron and Robert looked up as the officers walked in, mirroring frowns coming over their faces as they perceived the tension. Vic went to stand by Robert, anxiety causing her to seek proximity unconsciously.

The lead officer stepped forward. “Mr. Dingle, I’m afraid we have some bad news to deliver.” He paused. “As you know, we sent officers over to the Woolpack to provide protection to your mother and sister earlier today. When they arrived… they found the entire place trashed. No one was there.” Aaron froze, his eyes going wide with dread. “Evidence at the scene shows signs of a struggle and… this suggests that your mother and sister were kidnapped.” 

Aaron swayed, his head going fuzzy. He stood up unsteadily. “I need to make a phone call.” He said weakly, walking out the door and heading down the hallway to somewhere less crowded. His thoughts were doing wobbly somersaults around his head. Kidnapped? No. Impossible.

The police exchanged glances and trailed after Aaron, not having finished relaying the information they needed to. 

Robert nudged Vic, his voice anxious. “Go with them, please.” Vic nodded, following them out.

* * * *

Aaron fumbled his phone out of his pocket, his hands shaking. Please. He dialed Cain’s number. Please.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

END of CHAPTER XIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! Sorry! Don't hate me!


	20. CHAPTER XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron makes a call. The police, Aaron, and Vic do some thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is very dialogue heavy. Hang tight- the real action's coming next chapter.

CHAPTER XX

“Aaron?” Cain’s voice scratched gruffly.

Aaron nearly keeled over with relief. “Cain!? Are Liv and Chas with you? Are they alright?”

“’Course. What do you take me for?” Cain asked, annoyed by the question. “You told me to keep them safe. They’re safe.” 

“Where are you?” Aaron asked, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“We’re holed up in a motel.” He said in a bored voice. “Your sister’s driving me up a wall. She’s worried about you, keeps asking what’s going on. Chas too. They’re sleeping now.” He paused, waiting for Aaron to say something. Aaron just clutched the phone tightly to his ear, reveling in the fact that Liv and Chas were safe.

"Are you finally going to tell me what's going on, why you've asked me to play guard dog for your mother and sister?" Cain asked, his patience slightly frayed after far too many hours cooped up in the same place with the same people.

Aaron was silent on his end of the line for a moment. When he finally did speak, his voice was rough from the emotional roller coaster he'd just experienced over the last few minutes. "Someone's trying to hurt Robert. They’ve already threatened Liv. I don’t want to give them another chance.” Aaron said the last part quietly, kneading his forehead with his hand.

Cain growled on the other end. “So once again, Robert’s dragged you and your family into a bad situation. Maybe it’d be better to just cut him loose, Aaron.”

Aaron’s fingers clenched around the phone, infuriated. “If you weren’t protecting my mother and sister right now, Cain, I would knock your teeth out for that comment. You have no idea what Robert’s been through. Just stay there. Keep my family safe. And keep your opinions to yourself.” He went to hang up, his finger hovering over the end-call button.

There was a pause on the other end as Cain blinked in surprise at Aaron’s ferocity. “Aaron? Have you hung up?” 

Aaron dragged the phone reluctantly back to his ear. “No. I’m here.” Aaron answered gruffly, unable to hang up with the looming threat still hanging over his family.

“Do you want me to bring Liv and Chas to where you are, Aaron?” Cain asked more softly, hearing how thinly Aaron’s wits were stretched in his voice.

Aaron leaned against the hospital wall, closing his eyes. “No. Stay where you are. I need to be with Rob right now.” He felt the pull already, the need to get back to Robert. Now that he knew Chas and Liv were taken care of, he was singularly focused once more on his fiancé. “Keep them safe, Cain.”

Cain resisted the urge to make another snide comment about Robert, sensing Aaron couldn’t handle it in his current state. Instead he just answered simply. “I will.”

Aaron ended the call. He turned around, intending to return to Robert’s room, and found himself looking at Vic and the two police officers. “Right.” He said, shaking his head at himself. “Liv and Chas are fine. They’re with Cain. They weren’t there when the Woolpack got broken into.” Vic deflated with relief. 

The officers’ eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re certain of this?” Aaron nodded. “And you’re sure they weren’t present during the break in?” One officer asked, exchanging a concerned glance with the other.

Aaron nodded again, his brow furrowing now as he remembered what the police had said earlier about evidence at the scene pointing to a struggle. “Why would Strauss break in, trash the place, and leave like that? What did he gain from it? Was he trying to send some kind of message, a threat against my family?”

“Threats don’t work unless the person doing the threatening gets in contact and asks for something. Has Strauss contacted you, Mr. Dingle?” 

“No.” Aaron spat, disgusted by the idea.

“Then threatening your family was probably not Strauss’s intent.” The officer replied. He scratched his head, thinking logically. “He had no way of knowing you’d warned your family that they were in danger before he broke in. That probably made for an unpleasant discovery for him when he found out no one was home. It’s likely that he knew the scene would be discovered by the police, that we would send officers to protect your mother and sister and they would see the wreckage. I don’t see how making sure the police warned you he might be a threat to your family would benefit him, though.” He trailed off.

“You told me they’d been kidnapped.” Aaron reminded him sourly.

The officer looked up at Aaron, startled, an unpleasant realization popping into his head. “And your immediate reaction was to call them, to make sure they were alright.” 

Aaron frowned. “Yeah, but that doesn’t help Strauss. I didn’t go to where they are physically so it’s not like I could have given away their location.”

The officer spoke slowly, his thoughts coming together piece by piece. “Officers assigned to provide protection to crime victims always carry short-range cell phone jammers.” Aaron and Vic stared at him, completely baffled as to why he was suddenly giving them a lesson on police protocol. The officer looked back and forth between them. “There’s no cell phone service in Mr. Sugden’s room.” Aaron’s forehead wrinkled, a chill creeping over him. The officer continued. “That means, in order to make that call to your mother and sister, you’d have to leave your fiancé’s room.”

They all realized it at the same time. Aaron reacted fastest, his adrenaline spiking, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He spun around, sprinting back down the hallway and skidding around a corner. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have left Robert alone, even for a second? His feet pounded against the linoleum. He could hear the others running behind him, their footfalls echoing his own, frantic, desperate, not fast enough. He turned the final corner.

There was Adam, standing outside the door, watching him come, looking pale and shaky. His pace slowed as he approached. He could read the words on Adam’s face. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’ Aaron stopped in front of him, turning and ambling in a daze into Robert’s room. 

He stared at the empty hospital bed.

END of CHAPTER XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops... I did it again...


	21. CHAPTER XXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened while Aaron, Vic, and the police officers were gone is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've left you hanging again, but with a bit more information about what happened while everyone was off in some random hallway making phone calls...

CHAPTER XXI

Robert was sat up, staring anxiously at the open doorway, waiting for Vic or Aaron to come back and tell him what was going on. Had Strauss really taken Liv and Chas? Was he going to demand a trade? Robert shuddered, the horrible possibility eliciting tremors that wracked his entire body. This wasn't going to turn out well, not for him. He closed his eyes. At least he'd gotten to see Aaron again. At least he'd escaped long enough to make peace with the love of his life. If he was going to end up like a caged animal, treated like an object instead of a person, at least he'd gotten that much. He opened his eyes to see Adam enter the room and close the door quietly behind him.

"Adam? Do you know what's going on? Have the police said anything else?" Robert's speech slowed down as Adam completely ignored him and walked over to stand next to his bedside. "Adam? What is it?"

Adam moved quickly, like a cobra, snatching the call button off the bed where it lay next to Robert's hand.

Robert recoiled, startled by the suddenness, his eyes snapping shut as he braced himself. When his eyes reopened he was looking at Adam, standing over him, pale-faced and shaking. "What's going on Adam?" Robert asked, his voice shocked, sad, pleading. Adam didn't answer, grinding his teeth together and avoiding Robert's confused gaze. "What are you going to do?" He asked, his voice choked. He already knew. Of course he did. Somehow, Strauss had gotten to Adam. 

He watched, stunned into silence, as Adam pulled a syringe out of his jacket pocket and turned wordlessly towards Robert’s IV bag. He lifted the syringe up and stabbed the needle into the bag. “Adam, please don’t.“ Robert whispered, knowing even as he said it that Adam was already too far gone to pull himself back now. Adam compressed the plunger.

Robert’s eyes flicked down to the IV in his arm. Everything moved in slow motion as he reached for it. His movements were sluggish from the pain medication. He wasn’t fast enough. 

Adam’s hands clamped down on his wrist, pinning his arm in place so he couldn’t remove the IV. He sucked in a breath to yell for help. Adam shoved a hand over his mouth, pressing down and muffling his voice. 

A single tear leaked from the corner of Robert’s eye as he stared up at Adam, fear and hopelessness in his eyes.

Adam stared back, determined to see his task through, but feeling unspeakably guilty for his brutality, for betraying Vic and Aaron. He blinked back remorseful tears and choked, “I’m sorry. I have to. He’ll kill my mum if I don’t.” Robert just looked back, a final desperate plea in his eyes. And then he started to feel the effect of the syringe’s contents now running through his bloodstream, his eyelids began to droop and his struggling began to subside. Just before he faded into unconsciousness, he thought he heard Adam whisper. “I’ll take care of Aaron and Vic. I swear to you, I’ll take care of them.” 

* * * *

Adam froze for a moment as he looked down at Robert, lying unconscious. He released his grip on Robert’s wrist and removed his hand from Robert’s mouth. He backed away slowly, his breathing unsteady. He had to get out of there, before the monitors started going off. He swallowed back the bile rising in his throat, took a deep breath, and walked out of the room as normally as he could manage. He went down the hallway a ways, heading towards the vending machines. 

He reached them, stopped, inserted some spare change, and pressed a random number. The machine clanked loudly. He retrieved the bag of crisps it spit out. 

And then he heard it, the monitors beeping loudly from Robert’s room, the hurried footsteps of the doctors and nurses nearby. He trailed after them slowly, in an almost trance-like state. They piled into Robert’s room, towing a gurney. He could hear them shouting frantic orders. 

“Take him for an emergency CT. We need to find the source—“ 

“Prep the ER—“ 

“Lift him in one… two… three—”

They continued their frenzied clamoring as they wheeled Robert through the door and down the hall towards CT. Adam watched them disappear around a corner, standing alone outside the now empty hospital room. He felt hollow, like he’d just sacrificed his soul to save his heart, which beat painfully in his chest like a constant reminder of his betrayal. He’d had to. He’d had to do it. 

The photo of his mother performing her daily tasks on the farm, none-the-wiser that a man with a gun was stood at the ready just out of sight, flashed before his eyes. The terrible phone call echoed in his head. 

‘You’re going to do exactly what I say. Either that, or your mother’s going to get a bullet to the head. What’ll it be, Mr. Barton?’

He didn’t have a choice.

* * * *

Adam had stood there barely five minutes before Aaron came rushing around the corner, Vic and the two police detectives on his heels. The panic in Aaron’s expression had Adam breaking into a cold sweat, wondering if Aaron somehow knew what he’d just done. But there was no anger in Aaron’s eyes as he looked at Adam, as he stopped in front of him, as he then turned to stare into the empty room. Vic was hysterical, falling into him as she beheld Robert’s absence. The police officers took in the scene and immediately pulled out their coms and began murmuring into them.

Aaron just stared, a madness in his eyes. A shadow came over Adam’s visage as he looked on. He’d destroyed his best friend. He could see it clearly. Aaron wouldn’t recover from this loss, not with time, not with counseling. Without Robert, he was gutted, a shell, lifeless and purposeless. 

And then there was Vic, sobbing into his chest, seeking comfort, having no idea that he’d just chosen to sacrifice one of the people she loved most in the world to save someone he loved. He held her, his mind rejecting the pain and the guilt until an emotionless fog settled over him. 

It was no use feeling remorseful now. He’d had to do it and he couldn’t take it back.

END of CHAPTER XXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone see that coming?


	22. CHAPTER XXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse for Robert before they get better. Aaron plays detective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But seriously, though, I spent a lot of time thinking about how this Strauss character I'd created would act and this is what I thought he'd do.... It was a tough scene to write. I creeped myself out a bit...

CHAPTER XXII

Strauss stepped carefully over the unmoving body of the radiologist, weaving his way between more corpses swathed in white coats, in order to get over to where Robert lay unconscious. He spoke to the two hired guns behind him in a bored voice. “Administer the antiserum.” The stocky, dark-haired one stepped forward and stuck a needle into the crook of Robert’s elbow. Strauss jerked his head towards the door to the room. “Wheel him to the back of the building and load him into the ambulance waiting there. You have very little time. I’ll meet your out there.” With that he strode out the door.

* * * *

Aaron stood in Robert’s room, his hands clenched into fists, feeling like his mind was coming apart at the seams. This couldn’t be happening. They’d been gone less than fifteen minutes. 

Adam was mumbling something in the background. Aaron had to concentrate really hard to focus enough to understand what he was saying. “I was down the hallway, getting something from the vending machine, when I heard the monitors start going off. The doctors wheeled him out on a gurney. I heard them say he needed an emergency CT…” Adam trailed off, not making eye contact.

Aaron whirled around. “He’s with the doctors!?” Adam swallowed nervously and then nodded. Aaron practically flew down the hallway in the direction Adam had indicated, following the signs until he found the door to CT. He yanked on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Upon turning around to look for someone with a key card to let him in, he saw Vic, Adam, and the two officers behind him. One of the officers shouldered past him and swiped a card in front of the sensor. The light turned green and the door unlocked. Aaron burst inside, stopping short at the sight that met his eyes.

It was a massacre. The bodies of nurses and doctors littered the floor, every individual on the medical staff that had responded to the emergency. Not one of them was moving; not one of them had survived. Aaron heard Vic shriek behind him, heard Adam’s horrified intake of breath. The officers immediately stepped past him, their guns removed from their holsters, held at the ready in case the culprit was still present. Aaron’s eyes scanned madly, flicking from face to face, checking that Robert was not among the dead. Vic did the same. Adam just looked undirected, dazed, unable to process the bloodshed before his eyes, the bloodshed he’d initiated.

“He’s not here.” Aaron whispered, relieved and horrified at the same time. Vic mirrored his expression as their eyes met. Strauss had snatched him, right out from under their noses. And now any number of horrible things could be happening to him. But he wasn’t lying among the dead; he was alive. And that was something. 

Aaron turned to the officers, who had holstered their weapons, having found no sign that the murderers were still present. He was all business, ignoring the gore around him. “How would they get him out of the building?”

The officers didn’t respond, immediately hastening towards the door out of CT and down the hallway, Aaron, Vic, and Adam hot on their heels. The officers lead them to a room with monitors showing footage of all the entrances and exits of the hospital. They scanned through the footage searching for any suspicious vehicles, seeing none. 

And then Aaron saw something fishy. A man strode from the hospital, his face hidden from the cameras and climbed into the passenger side of a waiting ambulance. A few minutes later, two other men wheeled a gurney loaded with a bulging body bag out the back doors and loaded it into the same ambulance. “Stop it there.” He hissed, pointing a finger at the screen showing the anomaly. “Why would they be loading a dead body onto an ambulance? Why would they remove it from the morgue? And, if that isn’t weird enough, why would they need three people to transport a dead body. Aren’t there usually two EMTs to an ambulance?” 

The officers both leaned forward to look more closely, squinting to try and make out the license number of the ambo. They got on their coms, reading the license number out to the hospital security staff on the other end. “We need information on what that ambulance is carrying, stat.” They all waited with baited breath.

The security staff took barely a minute to get back on the line with an answer. “That ambulance is currently listed as out of service. It isn’t authorized to perform any tasks for the hospital at the moment, not until it gets validated by the engineering and maintenance staff.” 

“Is the ambulance’s LoJack system still functioning?” One officer asked. 

“Yes sir.” Came the reply over the com. 

“Track it now. Send us the location.” The officers replied. 

* * * *

There was a low, rumbling sound growling in his ears. That’s what Robert noticed first as his consciousness returned to him. Then he noticed that his broken ribs were screaming in protest at the way his arms were twisted behind his back. He tried to move them and found his wrists were bound together. He opened his eyes, blinking in the harsh lights of the ambo. And then his eyes adjusted to the light and he saw Strauss crouching next to him, his hand extended towards him. He cringed violently backwards, gasping at the pain his sudden movement elicited. His chest tightened with fear and he shuddered in disgust as Strauss caressed his face lightly. 

“You’re right to be scared.” Strauss whispered in his ear. Robert closed his eyes, paralyzed with terror. “That little escape act you pulled in the hotel room is going to cost you dearly.” Strauss ran a hand down his body. Robert quivered, nauseated by the contact, straining at his bindings. Strauss smirked down at him, titillated by his struggling. “I hope you enjoyed your freedom. You won’t get away from me again.” Robert turned his face away, his eyes going dead with defeat as Strauss’s hand slid under his hospital gown.

* * * *

The two officers drove at breakneck speed, Aaron, Vic, and Adam all stuffed in the back of the black and white. Directions were being fed to them in real time over the radio. 

“Make a left at the next intersection.” The radio buzzed. The cruiser turned sharply, Aaron, Vic, and Adam slamming forcibly into each other. “LoJack shows the ambo just turned into a parking garage about two minutes from your location.”

The officer driving stomped down on the gas pedal, the cruiser lurching forward. After a few seconds, the other officer riding in the passenger seat turned to look at the group in the back seat, his face grim. “They’re likely planning to ditch the ambulance there and switch vehicles. If they do that before we get there, we won’t be able to track them anymore.”

Aaron and Vic stiffened in their seats, their hearts beating a mile a minute. Please, please, please let us make it in time.

* * * *

Robert felt dead inside. He lay there, his fingertips going numb as the ties on his wrists cut off circulation, his arms feeling like they were being slowly ripped from their sockets. He didn’t look at Strauss, who was facing away from him, refastening his belt.

The ambulance slowed to a stop. Robert lifted his head, craning to see out the window. A few moments later, Strauss’s hired hands opened the back doors of the ambo and Strauss climbed out. They then yanked Robert up harshly by his arms, and dragged him out of the ambulance. He groaned in agony, as his legs buckled beneath him, unable to support his weight after the most recent assault on his person. The men holding his arms hauled him ruthlessly towards a black sedan, one of them yanking so viciously that he felt his shoulder dislocate with a loud pop. A strangled cry fell from his mouth. 

“Careful.” Strauss hissed, his eyes flashing black. “We didn’t go through all that trouble so you could break him during transport.” He leaned forward and grasped Robert by the chin, tugging his face upwards so it was inches from his own. “I’ll be the only one doing the breaking.” He let go, and Robert’s head drooped, his energy sapped, the fight gone out of him. He sagged limply, forcing the hired hands to carry all of his dead weight. 

And then, suddenly, a police car barreled into the parking garage, sirens blaring, closely followed by another two cruisers. Chaos broke out. Officers swarmed out of the vehicles, their guns raised, shouting for Strauss and his men to put their hands up and lower their weapons. The hired hands both released their grip on Robert at the same time, their hands lifting in surrender, and he slumped weakly against the side of the sedan. 

Strauss stood frozen, his fingers closing clandestinely around the gun at his hip. He stood, partially hidden behind the sedan, only feet from where Robert had collapsed. His eyes fell on Robert’s crumpled form. 

Robert watched helplessly as Strauss raised his gun and pointed it at him, his eyes wild. BANG. Robert’s eyes snapped shut, waiting for the blackness, waiting for it to all be over. 

There was a thud. He opened his eyes to see Strauss, a bullet through his temple, eyes wide and staring, lying spread-eagle on the pavement. Tears blurred his vision and his head fell back in exhausted relief to rest against the car. Officers rushed forward to arrest the two hired hands, both of which wore expressionless masks, neither caring in the slightest that their boss had just taken his last despicable breath. 

An officer knelt down in front of Robert, while another snapped open a Leatherman and gently cut through the ties binding his wrists. He clenched his teeth as his dislocated shoulder twinged painfully. One of the officers spoke into his com. “We need an EMT over here.” 

There was a commotion over by the police cars. Robert could hear Aaron’s anxious shouts. He barely had the energy to lift his head up in time to see Aaron hurtle around the front of the sedan and fall to his knees beside him, eyes scanning for injuries and lighting on his disfigured shoulder. He raised his eyes to look into Robert’s, tears falling with abandon. ‘I thought I’d lost you.’ They said. ‘I thought I’d never see your face again.’ Robert used the last of his strength to push himself away from the car and into Aaron’s chest, his eyes closing contentedly as he passed out in his lover’s embrace.

END of CHAPTER XXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovers reunite! Ahhh that's always my favorite scene to write in any story <3


	23. CHAPTER XXIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron offers Robert comfort. Adam gets nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this didn't go the way I originally planned. But sometimes stories have a mind of their own.
> 
> Ya know?

CHAPTER XXIII

Aaron felt Robert relax into unconsciousness. He sat there, EMTs squawking in his ear, police officers asking him to step back in annoying voices, and wrapped his arms around Robert, pulling him into his chest, never wanting to let go. He had to, of course, when the EMTs told him they couldn’t examine his fiancé until he gave them the space to do so. He began to scoot backwards, intending to give them the space they’d asked for, but was stymied by the death grip Robert had on his clothes with his good arm, which had not relaxed when Robert lost consciousness. Aaron looked at the EMTs and shrugged with a what-do-you-want-me-to-do-about-it look. “Can you… work around me?”

The EMTs kneeled down beside Aaron and Robert and one began probing Robert’s shoulder. The other began gently working on loosening Robert’s grip. Aaron sat still, trying to be helpful, trying not to act on the instinct to stop the EMTs from taking Robert away from him. Robert’s fingers came loose and the EMTs lowered him gently onto a backboard, which they then lifted onto a gurney. They loaded Robert into the back of a legitimate ambulance. Aaron stood up and drifted after them, climbing into the ambulance immediately, not even bothering to ask permission. 

Vic appeared at the back of the ambulance, towing Adam behind her. “How is he?” Vic asked, craning her neck to get a look at Robert. 

The EMTs answered her, while rolling Robert gently onto his side. Aaron didn’t hear what they said. He was busy trying not to be sick, having just glimpsed the blood on the back of Robert’s hospital gown. 

They’d gotten there soon enough to stop Strauss from disappearing with Robert, but they’d been too late to stop a second assault. Aaron could feel his hands shaking, his rage boiling over, angry tears pricking at his eyes. He hadn’t been able to keep his promise. He hadn’t been able to protect the one he loved. His mind dredged up the words Robert had said to him at the hospital. ‘If something happens to me…’ ‘I can’t stop worrying about you, not until I’ve made sure you’ll be alright, even if things don’t go the way we want them to.’ ‘I need you to promise me that you won’t blame yourself, that you won’t hurt yourself.’ ‘Aaron, please, promise me.’ 

‘Nothing is going to happen to you.’ He’d replied. And Robert had spoken with a sad resignation in his eyes. 

‘Promise me anyway.’

Aaron shook at the memory. Rob had known this could happen, had expected it even. He must have been so scared and yet there he sat in his hospital bed, worrying about Aaron, not sparing his own fate a second thought. 

Aaron’s mind turned to Strauss, wondering how anyone could be so evil, could do such despicable, unthinkable things. His hands clenched into fists and he felt anger flare up inside him. He wished Strauss was still alive. He wished he could kill him himself.

* * * *

Vic watched the ambulance pull away, her visage pale. Robert was going to be okay and she was oh so grateful. But she was also sad, having noticed the same thing Aaron did, realizing that Robert would have mental scars far worse than any physical ones, knowing that his road to recovery would be long and difficult.

She sighed and turned to Adam, her eyebrows knitting together at the stiffness of his expression, like he was putting it on, pretending to be relieved. She shook herself. What was she thinking? Why wouldn't he be glad they'd gotten to Robert in time? He must just be shaken up, just like she was. After all, he knew how much her brother meant to her. He had probably been so worried for her and for Aaron. He was just tense from all the stress. That's what it was. She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the police officers to ask for a ride back to the hospital. 

* * * *

Aaron had rarely seen Robert scared prior to all of the madness of the last couple days. Now he felt he'd seen him frightened far too much for one lifetime. 

Robert’s eyes blinked open in the ambulance and, before Aaron or the EMT could react, he was cringing away from them, his eyes closing against the familiar scene before his eyes, the ambulance interior an exact replica of the stolen one’s. His brain went into panic mode. No! He couldn’t be back here. He’d been saved. He’d seen Aaron. Please no. He didn’t want to open his eyes. He didn’t want to find out it had all been a dream.

“Rob, it’s okay. You’re safe.” Aaron’s voice whispered from in front of him. Robert opened his eyes. Oh. He was really there. It hadn’t been a dream. He blew out a shaky breath, leaning back against the side of the ambo in relief. Thank goodness. Aaron was watching him, his eyes wide with worry.

He winced as he registered his shoulder throbbing painfully from his sudden movement. The EMT reacted to his apparent discomfort, moving closer and reaching towards him. He stiffened when the EMT made contact with his skin, his eyes dimming as he forced himself to remain still and not yank his arm away. 

A muscle twitched in Aaron’s jaw as he looked on, seeing how uncomfortable Robert was. He wished he could do something to make that look disappear. He hated that look, hated that it was twisting Robert’s beautiful features. He leaned forward and spoke quietly. “Rob, it’s over. You don’t have to be scared anymore.” 

Robert raised his gaze to meet Aaron’s, a desperation in them. “Don’t I?” He whispered.

* * * *

Adam stared stonily out the window of the cruiser. 

The police officers that had driven them to the parking garage had agreed to give them a ride back to the hospital. Vic was quiet, worrying about her brother. She had barely spoken since they’d watched Robert get taken away in the ambulance. 

He felt hollow, cold on the inside, like there were ice cubes floating around in his stomach. He was going to lose everything. Vic. Aaron. They were going to hate him. He’d betrayed their trust, chosen to save his mother, to sacrifice the person they loved to do it. They wouldn’t understand; they wouldn’t forgive him. Not ever.

And to top it all off, he’d committed a crime, a heinous crime, which means he would go to prison. For a long time. His heartbeat quickened. 

Maybe he could convince Robert to stay quiet, to keep what had happened to himself. It would hurt Vic and Aaron, after all. Robert wouldn’t want to do that. Right?

* * * *

Vic prodded Adam in the side. He jumped. “Adam, we’re here. You want to get out of the car?” Adam slid out, Vic shooting him a sideways glance, a question in it. ‘What’s going on with you?’ She wondered. But this wasn’t the time to be worrying about Adam, so she grabbed his hand and pulled him along the now familiar hallways of the hospital towards Robert’s room.

Robert had his eyes averted, his hand clutching Aaron’s tightly, as the doctor counted out loud. 

“One, two… three.” With a loud pop, the doctor snapped Robert’s arm back into its socket. He groaned, clenching his teeth together, trying not to let Aaron know how much it hurt. 

Aaron was whispering soothingly to him under his breath, his eyes upset. “You did great. It’s all over now, babe.”

Vic stepped forward, her eyes tearing up. “Rob?” He looked up at her. “You alright?” She asked, knowing he wasn’t, but needing to ask anyway. 

He nodded, his eyes flicking to Aaron’s. “I will be.” He answered quietly. Aaron squeezed his hand.

Vic’s brow furrowed as she looked around the room. “Where’d Adam go? He was right behind me…” Aaron craned his neck to peek out the open doorway. Robert stiffened, a shiver running down his spine. 

“Adam?” Aaron said, raising his voice. “What are you doing lurking out in the hallway? Get in here.” Adam shuffled inside, blinking nervously. He glanced up at Robert, expecting hostility, resentment, malice.

But, instead, there was fear. 

Robert had his eyes downcast, dark circles standing out starkly against his white pallor. Adam sucked in a breath. Oh. Robert was scared of him.

He felt a strange, warmth thaw out the ice cubes in his stomach. Robert looked so small, frail even, as if he was curling in on himself. The cockiness, the cheeky impertinence, was nowhere to be found. He’d lost his nerve. Even the smallest amount of intimidation would keep him quiet. 

Adam stood up straighter, striding forward and sitting on the edge of Robert’s hospital bed. “It’s good to see you again, Rob.” Robert’s eyes flicked up, catching the double meaning, understanding Adam was reminding him about the last time they’d been in that room together. “Aaron and Vic have been worried sick.” 

END of CHAPTER XXIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope no one's too attached to Adam... cause he's headed over to the dark side...


	24. CHAPTER XXIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert makes a decision concerning Adam. The family reunites!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! That took me forever! Anyhoooow, hope you guys enjoy. I'm such a sucker for Roblivion. So glad I finally got to write more of that <3
> 
> As for Adam. I'm curious to hear what you guys think about Robert's decision.

CHAPTER XXIV

“How can you have no idea how someone got into his room?” Aaron was yelling again. Robert watched him through the open door with tired eyes. 

Aaron wasn’t handling this well. He’d been on edge and angry since the police had walked into Robert’s room and told them that they had zero leads as to how someone had gotten past the officers keeping guard and injected something into Robert’s IV bag.

The police spoke gently to Aaron, not taking offense at his outburst. “Mr. Dingle, that’s what we’re telling you. The only people that could have passed through that door, that could have gotten into your fiancé’s room, were the three of you and the authorized members of the medical staff. No unauthorized people were allowed in. The officers guarding the door are absolutely certain of that, which means Strauss must have gotten someone with clearance to inject the drug to induce the symptoms.”

Aaron was shaking his head furiously. “So then it must have been one of the doctors or nurses—“

“Yes.” One of the officers cut Aaron off, his tone severe. “It must have been one of the dead doctors or nurses.”

Aaron ground his teeth together. “How can we be sure, though? What if the person is still walking around?”

The other officer stepped forward and placed a hand on Aaron’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Mr. Dingle, it’s over. Your fiancé is safe. The man responsible is dead.” Aaron looked like he wanted to keep arguing, but took a deep breath and nodded his head instead. “Go be with your fiancé now.” The officer smiled before turning and walking away with his partner.

Aaron shuffled back over to Robert’s bedside and fell heavily into a chair, running a hand over his face. He peeked up at Robert, who was watching him quietly. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything about what happened after Vic and I left?” Robert sighed, avoiding Aaron’s eyes.

He’d decided to lie. Even before Adam had walked in and started making underhanded threats, he’d decided that it would only hurt Aaron and Vic if he said something, if he told them that Adam was a deceitful, selfish, traitorous son-of-a-bitch. They would lose one of the most important people in their lives, a friend, a husband. He couldn’t do that to them. 

And yes, that meant he’d have to stomach seeing Adam every day, seeing his smug, two-timing face. But he could do that. For Aaron and Vic’s sake. 

It was actually quite strange how… Zen he felt after he’d made his mind up to put Aaron and Vic’s happiness first. The initial fear, the question of what Adam would do when confronted with the possibility of getting caught, had made his heart beat unevenly in his chest, had sucked all the air from his lungs. But then he’d gotten his answer. Adam had issued his threats: stay quiet or else, under the radar so neither Vic or Aaron perceived anything amiss, and Robert had been able to finally stop being afraid. He might be injured and weak and… not so fond of physical contact at the moment, but he could still look at someone’s face and know exactly what they were thinking. And he knew Adam wouldn’t pose a danger to him or Aaron or anyone he loved as long as he didn’t back him into a corner. He could live with that. In fact, he felt quite serene, calmed by the feeling of rightness his decision bestowed upon him. 

That serenity permeated his voice now as he raised his eyes to meet Aaron’s and answered his question. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I really can’t tell you anything about what happened. I passed out.” And technically that was all true. He was getting really good at this lying without lying thing… Aaron nodded, a frown still clouding his features. Robert grabbed his hand, pulling his attention back. “Aaron, relax. You don’t have to be worried anymore.” 

Aaron’s brows knitted together and he looked away, speaking in a hoarse voice as he did. “You were almost taken away from me… forever. We almost didn’t get there in time. You would have been gone; you would have been untraceable.” He sucked in a breath, his throat tight with emotion. “How am I supposed to stop worrying that if I leave you alone again, if I take my eyes off you for even a second, you’ll disappear and I’ll never be able to find you again?” His eyes were glassy with tears as he looked back at Robert.

Robert squeezed his hand and looked back, sincerity coloring his voice. “It’s over. It really is. Everyone’s safe. No one’s disappearing. I promise.” He knew the words to be true. As long as he didn’t say anything, didn’t give Adam any reason to feel threatened, it was over. Adam wasn’t a bad guy, not really. He was desperate when he did what he did and he was desperate when he started rattling off threats too. So Adam wouldn’t hurt him again, he wouldn’t come after him, not if he kept his mouth shut.

* * * *

The phone rang loudly, startling Cain awake. He had it to his ear in less than a second. “Aaron?” He asked, alert, ready to move if Aaron told him their location had been compromised.

“Cain, it’s over. It’s finally over.” Aaron’s voice was exhausted and Cain wondered when he’d last gotten some shut-eye. “Can you drive Liv and Chas to the hospital? I’d really like to see them.” 

Cain paused before answering. “’Course. They’ll be ecstatic they finally get to leave their room.” His voice went softer. “They’ve been really worried about you. Me too.” 

Aaron’s voice had a hard edge to it when he responded. “I was never in any danger.”

“Ah, yes.” Cain responded, practically growling in response to Aaron’s tone. “Sugden alright then? Or did you finally come to your senses and kick him to the curb?”

Cain could feel Aaron seething through the receiver. He heard Robert’s voice, unruffled and comforting, calming Aaron down on the other end of the line. “Don’t fight with your family.” He heard him say. “And tell him thank you for me, for protecting Liv and Chas.” Cain’s brow furrowed and he pulled the receiver away from his head, giving it a confused glance before returning it to its position by his ear. He felt his usual antagonism towards Robert waver slightly. Robert Sugden didn’t play peace-maker and Robert Sugden didn’t do gratitude. And that meant something had happened, something attitude changing, something that made Robert suddenly overwhelmingly grateful just to be there. 

Cain was yanked from his train of thought as Aaron came back on the line, his anger wrangled into check, his voice choked with the reminder of what could have happened had Cain not been there. “We’re grateful for your help.” Cain could hear Robert whisper something soothingly to Aaron. And then Aaron spoke again, more softly now. “We’ll never be able to thank you enough… for keeping them safe.” 

Cain frowned, taken aback by Aaron’s tone. What the hell had happened? He spoke gruffly, embarrassed by the thanks. “What are families for?” He cleared his throat loudly. “I’ll get Liv and Chas up, bring them to the hospital. Be there soon.” He paused before ending the call. “Hang in there, Aaron.”

 

* * * *

Liv and Chas and Cain didn’t really know what to expect when they arrived at the hospital. But they definitely didn’t expect to see hoards of police officers roaming the halls, doctors and nurses looking exceedingly grim, and no sign of Aaron waiting to greet them by the reception desk. Just as Chas approached the nurse at the counter in the reception area, an arm wrapped protectively around Liv’s shoulders, Vic’s voice sounded from across the room.

“Chas, Liv, Cain, I’m so glad you’re alright.” She rushed over and hugged them each in turn, her eyes wet with relieved tears. “Aaron didn’t want to leave Robert. He asked me to come get you all.” Cain rolled his eyes. Chas frowned, annoyed, her patience long since used up. Her son couldn’t have left Robert’s bedside for five minutes to come greet them and tell them what the hell was going on? 

Liv frowned too, her brows knitting together. Her brother always put her first. He had since the very beginning. And that often meant putting Robert second, third even if someone in the Dingle clan was in trouble or needed help. It wasn’t lost on her that Aaron not being there meant Robert was top priority right now. That’s why Aaron hadn’t come to meet them. And that meant something was wrong. 

She stuffed her shaking hands in her pockets and followed Vic, Chas, and Cain down the long hallway. As they drew closer to Robert’s room, they heard a doctor speaking. 

“The swelling in your shoulder’s gone down, which is a very good sign that the surrounding ligaments and cartilage weren’t damaged. That means the recovery period should be shorter and you’re less likely to suffer recurrent dislocations.” The doctor smiled kind-heartedly at Robert and Aaron. “I’ll check in again tomorrow and we’ll discuss rehabilitation and physical therapy.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Robert answered quietly. Aaron nodded in thanks as well and the doctor left, passing Chas, Liv, Cain, and Vic in the hallway. Vic flitted to Robert’s side, leaving Chas, Liv, and Cain standing in the doorway. 

Aaron looked up and saw them, rising out of his chair and smiling a tired smile. “Liv, mum, it’s good to see you.” 

Liv floated forward, taking in how emotionally drained Aaron was, how he looked completely shattered, wrecked with sleep deprivation. Then she looked at Robert, seeing the sling, the bandages, the bruises. He seemed so small and thin and brittle, his skin chalky white, the circles under his eyes dark and deep. But he was smiling at her too, a relieved, thankful smile. She moved forward looking back and forth between them. “Is everything alright now?” She whispered. “Is our family back together?”

END of CHAPTER XXIV


	25. CHAPTER XXV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liv and Robert have a moment. Vic notices something off with Adam. Adam stops being subtle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So most of you feel the same way I do about Adam... he deserves to get his ass kicked. 
> 
> All in good time...
> 
> For now he's just gonna keep spiraling down down down into psychopath central.

CHAPTER XXV

Aaron ruffled her hair fondly. “Everything’s alright.” He seemed to mean it, for the most part. She could hear a waver in his voice, like the words were hard for him to say, like he was still upset about whatever had happened. She saw Robert squeeze her brother’s hand comfortingly. There was something different about the way they were around each other now, like they both needed constant physical proximity, like they needed assurance the other was still there. She moved closer to Aaron.

“Are you going to tell us what’s been going on now?” Chas asked, her tone betraying her annoyance at being kept in the dark. Aaron sighed, sending a searching glance in Robert’s direction.

Robert’s eyes clouded. He really didn’t want anyone else to know what had happened. Aaron and Vic knowing was hard enough. But he didn’t want to ask Aaron to keep things from his family and he definitely didn’t want to make Aaron feel like he couldn’t talk to Chas or Cain if he was having difficulty coping. So he swallowed back the refusal on the tip of his tongue and nodded at Aaron, giving him permission to tell them.

Aaron wasn’t fooled. Robert was making that face again, the one he made when he was ignoring his own needs and worrying about him. “Are you sure?” He asked quietly. 

Robert nodded again, lowering his gaze before speaking softly. “You need someone to talk to… about all of this.” 

Aaron clenched his teeth together. “I’m not worried about me, Rob.” 

Robert peeked up at him. “I don’t want you dealing with this by yourself.” He waited for Aaron to meet his eyes. “And I know you won’t tell me if you’re struggling so I want you to have someone.” His eyes flicked to the perplexed expressions on Chas and Cain’s faces. “Or two someones,” he corrected himself, “that you can go to if you need.” He let go of Aaron’s hand. “Go on.”

Aaron blinked back the water in his eyes and indicated with a jerk of his head that Cain and Chas should head out into the hall. Liv moved to join them, but Vic put an arm around her shoulders and held her back gently. Liv’s brow furrowed. They weren’t going to tell her; they didn’t think she could handle it. She looked at Robert. 

He was looking out the open doorway Aaron had left through, his hand clenching the sheets beneath. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if he was trying to calm himself. And then he relaxed his grip and opened his eyes, the panic suppressed. 

He turned to check on her, scanning her face with his all-seeing eyes. “It’s not that we don’t think you can handle it, Liv.” He said, as usual, giving her the feeling he could read minds. “We just don’t want you to have to.”

Her eyes flicked up to meet his, searching. “But it’s safe now?” He nodded. “And you and Aaron… you made up? You’re back together?” He nodded again. She swallowed, her eyes lowering to rest on his sling. “And you’re… going to be alright?” She asked quietly.

Robert gestured for her to come closer. She walked over and he placed a hand on her shoulder, looking into her face. “I’m alright. You don’t need to worry.” He tilted his head at her expression, reading her face like a book. “Aaron’s alright too.” She smiled tentatively at him, grateful in that moment that he was a mind reader, that he knew what she wanted to ask, what was troubling her, even if she couldn’t quite get the words out. Robert smiled back before dropping his hand from her shoulder and turning to look at Vic. “Vic, you should take her for some food. She’s hungry.” 

Liv eyed him warily, her voice dripping with feigned annoyance as she mumbled, “Get out of my head.” Robert grinned at her. She grinned back. And for the first time in days, she felt like things were going to be okay.

* * * *

Vic was smiling as she walked with Liv out of the hospital room. The relationship between her brother and Aaron’s sister was beyond special. It was like some silent communication was constantly passing between them, like they had a long-running inside joke hanging betwixt them whenever they spoke. More than that, it was like they were constantly updating each other with soundless exchanges on how Aaron was doing, like they’d come to understand their mutual investment and made a pact to team up and keep an eye out. And then, somewhere along the way, they’d started looking out for each other too. They’d become family. And Vic was so glad. 

Vic stopped short, having walked only a few steps down the hall, away from Robert’s room. Liv looked up at her questioningly. Vic pulled her phone out and dialed Adam’s number. 

“Vic?” Adam answered quickly, like he thought she might be calling because something was wrong. 

Her brow furrowed. Why was he still so on edge? “Adam, Liv, Chas, and Cain are here. Aaron’s talking with Cain and Chas and I was just taking Liv to get something to eat from the cafeteria…” She paused, glancing at Liv, not wanting to have to explain why it made her feel physically sick to leave Robert by himself for even a minute. “Can you come hang out with Rob till we get back?”

Adam missed a beat before answering. “Actually, I was just—“

Vic cut him off, her voice half harsh, half pleading. “Please, Adam.”

He swallowed. “Yeah, ‘course. I’ll be right there.”

Vic hung up the phone, shooting it a querying glance before stowing it in her pocket. What the hell was going on with Adam?

* * * *

Vic waited until Adam got there before actually heading to the cafeteria with Liv. She knew it was irrational. The danger was gone. Robert didn’t need a babysitter. She knew that… But the horror of realizing no one was with him, that they’d left him unprotected, was still fresh, still turning her stomach, still causing her heart to beat unevenly in her chest. So she waited.

She frowned at the look on Adam’s face when he finally got there. He looked annoyed, like her asking this of him was a bother, like her not wanting to leave her brother alone was completely unfounded. 

Adam raised an eyebrow at her when she didn’t leave for the cafeteria and, instead, remained rooted to the spot outside Rob’s door. “Okay, I’m here. Go on.” He said, his voice almost mocking. 

Her brow furrowed. Why was he acting like this? Was he tired of taking care of her and Aaron? Was he cranky from lack of sleep? She shook herself. She’d get to the bottom of what was eating Adam later. “Right. Thanks.” She said, leading Liv down the hall, sending a last confused glance towards her husband before turning the corner.

* * * *

Adam shot a nasty look after Vic. She was being ridiculous, worrying after her brother to an absurd degree. And now he had to go in and ‘check on’ Robert. His eyes darkened. It probably wasn’t the worst idea to have a frank chat, make sure he hadn’t been too subtle, that he’d gotten his message across. He strode in. 

 

Upon seeing him, Robert stiffened, his jaw clenching and his hands balling into fists. He didn’t look in Adam’s direction. “What do you want, Adam?” He spoke quietly, but there was an edge of betrayal that Adam couldn’t help but notice.

“I just wanted to make sure I was clear earlier.” He responded, his voice low and threatening. He moved forward and sat on the edge of Robert’s bed, noting how Robert angled his body away from him as he did. “You are going to keep your mouth shut about the part I played in your… close call.” He tilted his head, speaking in a lighter voice now. “I don’t want to hurt anybody, Robert.” He patted Robert’s foot. “But I will if I have to.” He smiled. 

Robert looked on, feeling slightly sick. Was Adam always this deranged or was this barbaric ruthlessness a recent acquisition? It was like he’d mutated into a completely different person, a brutal, heartless, bordering on psychopathic, person. His sister loved this man? Aaron trusted this man? Was this alternate personality born purely out of desperation? Or did Adam have a dark side that no one knew about, an evil streak that made an appearance only after Adam found himself in a position where he either had to make threats or accept the consequences for what he’d done? Robert suddenly found himself wondering who the hell he was dealing with.

“I won’t say anything, Adam.” He said quietly, his voice shaking slightly despite his best efforts to steady it. 

Adam smirked at him, the dregs of insanity swirling around behind his eyes. “Then we won’t have a problem.”

END of CHAPTER XXV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed- I wanted to get one more chapter out before the end of the weekend <3


	26. CHAPTER XXVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron gets physical. Aaron notices something weird between Adam and Robert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this one's short, but I'll work on getting another one out before the weekend's over :)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

CHAPTER XXVI

“So?” Chas asked, spinning around to face Aaron, who was closing the door behind him and Cain.

Aaron sighed, not looking at either of them. “A man was after Robert.” Cain huffed an ‘of course’ under his breath. Aaron shot him a look, continuing to speak in a growl. “He made threats against Liv. I didn’t want to give him a chance to act on them.” Aaron paused, turning to look directly at Chas. “But he’s not a threat anymore.”

Chas’s brow furrowed. “He’s been arrested?”

Aaron shook his head, answering in monotone. “He’s dead.” 

Chas and Cain stared at him. Cain spoke in an almost disbelieving tone, exchanging a ‘has he lost it?’ look with Chas. “Dead?”

Aaron glared at him. “Yes, dead. He was shot in the head.” 

Cain’s brows furrowed. “Shot in the…?” He moved towards Aaron, his voice raising in volume. “What the hell did Sugden get you involved in?”

Aaron bristled. “Blame him one more time, Cain, and I swear I’ll knock you on your ass.” He was in Cain’s face shouting. “None of this was Robert’s fault!” 

“Really?” Cain growled back. “Because it sounds like, once again, Sugden’s dragged you into something dodgy and this time he’s even put your family in danger.” Aaron was shaking his head, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Cain scowled, practically hissing in frustration. “Don’t be so naïve, Aaron! If this guy was after him, it’s because he did something to piss him off. You know how he is, always running his mouth off, always pushing people’s buttons. He probably got what he deserved!” Cain knew he’d gone too far as soon as he said it. Aaron’s fist whipped out, smashing into his nose. His head whipped back, his body following, and he went careening into a cabinet against the wall. He slid down the cabinet until he was sitting on the floor and clutched his nose, groaning. 

Chas shrieked, running forward to get between Aaron and Cain and stop Aaron from hitting him again. Aaron just stood, shaking with silent rage, watching as Chas leaned down to check if Cain’s nose was broken. 

He whispered it then, his voice croaking with grief. “He was raped.”

Chas and Cain both stopped moving, shocked into silence. Their eyes grew wide and they looked up at Aaron, who was staring with tear-filled eyes at a spot on the wall above their heads.

Chas rose from her crouch, her mouth opening and closing helplessly a few times before she managed to speak. “Oh my God, Aaron.” She walked forward and pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry.” Aaron broke down, crying into her shoulder, hugging her tightly.

Cain was still gaping, at a loss as to what to say. He would have punched him too. 

He stood up, holding his nose closed to stem the flow of blood, and walked over to Aaron, whose face was still buried in his mother’s shoulder. He reached his free hand out and placed it on Aaron’s shoulder. Aaron didn’t brush him off. 

They stayed like that for a while, letting Aaron cry himself out. Finally, the sobs wracking his body quieted and he lifted his head, stepping back from Chas and wiping his eyes. “Sorry.” He whispered, sniffling and looking away, embarrassed.

Chas’s eyes were wet as she looked at her grief-stricken son. “It’s okay, love.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “We’re here for you. And for Robert. The two of you will get through this.” 

Aaron nodded. “I know.” He shook himself, looking towards the door, feeling the same strange pull as he had earlier, that magnetic force drawing him back to Robert’s bedside. “I should get back.” 

Chas and Cain nodded in understanding. “Of course.” They answered.

But Aaron had already disappeared out the door.

* * * *

When Aaron walked back into Robert’s room, he was immediately taken aback by the chilly atmosphere, the perceivable tension in the room. Robert looked pale and shaky, his hand clutched tightly around the call button. Adam was sat in a chair, casually reading a magazine, seemingly completely unaware that anything was amiss. 

At Aaron’s appearance in the doorway Robert seemed to practically deflate, letting out a relieved breath. Adam jumped up, smiling innocently at Aaron and heading for the door with a, “Now that you’re back I’ve got some errands to run so…” He strode quickly out the door and down the hallway. 

Aaron looked after him, his brow furrowed. What was that? 

Robert spoke, distracting Aaron from his thoughts. “How’d it go?” 

Aaron peeked at him shyly. “I broke Cain’s nose…” 

Robert gaped at him. “You broke his—?”

“He was being an ass.” Aaron interjected, avoiding Robert’s eyes.

Robert scanned Aaron for injuries. Aaron rolled his eyes. “You look fine…” He said cautiously, a question in his voice asking why Cain hadn’t retaliated.

Aaron didn’t answer, sitting down and taking Robert’s hand. He breathed out a sigh. “You were right. I needed to… talk to someone.” He said quietly. “They’re both going to help, however they can.” Robert nodded, swallowing. Aaron peered around the room, his voice lighter now. “Where’re Vic and Liv?”

Robert jerked his head towards the door. “They went for food. Liv was starved.” He looked at Aaron. “When’s the last time you ate something?” 

Aaron avoided his eyes. “Dunno.” He mumbled finally. Robert attempted to let go of his hand, but Aaron held on tightly. “I’ll call Vic and ask her to bring me something.” He said in response to Robert’s raised eyebrow.

Robert rolled his eyes, but didn’t have it in him to complain. After all, he felt better with Aaron there, like a weight had been lifted off his chest and he could breathe easily again. Plus, he really didn’t feel like having another scary chat with Adam.

He peeked at Aaron out of the corner of his eye. Had he noticed anything when he walked in? Had he seen the strain on his and Adam’s faces? Had he felt the hostility radiating off of Adam in waves? It didn’t seem like it, but then Aaron had looked at Adam sort of strangely when he left. 

Friggin’ Adam. He was practically giving himself away. The moron couldn’t even act normal when his relationships with his loved ones and his liberty hung in the balance. Robert wanted to roll his eyes. What an amateur.

END of CHAPTER XXVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So both Aaron and Vic have caught on to Adam behaving weirdly... only a matter of time before one of them figures out why...
> 
> Hehe go ice your hand Aaron - you're going to need it again soon ;D


	27. CHAPTER XXVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert finds something in Aaron's coat pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you remember what Aaron put in his pocket many chapters ago?
> 
> I'm so happy I thought to foreshadow this ;D wish I could say I did it on purpose lol
> 
> I noticed at least one person was asking in the comments when the story about Rob and his dad would tie back into the story- well my answer is... right now!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

CHAPTER XXVII

“Finally.” Robert grumbled in response to the doctor agreeing he could be released from the hospital and go home that day. The doctor smiled at him, appreciating that his sense of humor was returning so soon after his recent trauma. Aaron was grinning too. Usually, he would have shot Robert a look, a ‘be nice’ look, or, even more likely, a ‘don’t be an ass’ look. But he was far too happy that his fiancé was reverting back to his usual, prickly self. That’s the Robert he fell in love with, after all. “When do I get to take this stupid thing off?” Robert asked, jerking his head at his sling.

The doctor raised an eyebrow at him. “You dislocated your shoulder, Mr. Sugden. You won’t be able to go without the sling for at least another two and a half weeks.” Robert groaned.

Aaron patted his arm comfortingly, before sending a genuine, grateful smile in the doctor’s direction. “Well, thanks for everything, Doctor.” The doctor nodded a your welcome and headed out the door. 

Robert had a sour look on his face. “Two and a half more weeks.” He groaned again. 

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Don’t be a baby about it. That’s not even very long.” He peeked at Robert. “At least you get to come home.” 

Robert smiled. “That is very good news.”

* * * *

“Not a wheelchair. Come on.” Robert whined, eyeing the chair with extreme dislike. 

Liv giggled at his expression. Robert shot her a ‘what’s so damn funny?’ look. She snorted, avoiding his eyes. He tried to suppress his smile, but failed. 

Aaron watched them both with a twinkle in his eye and rolled the wheelchair closer to Robert’s bed. “You’re leaving in a wheelchair or not at all.” He said lightly, but Robert knew better than to argue.

Robert swung his legs over the side of the bed, sitting up gingerly, his ribs still twinging slightly despite the pain meds he’d taken to prepare for the trip home. He kept the pain off his face, not wanting Aaron to start asking him if he was sure he was ready to leave. He wasn’t sure. He was scared, scared to face the world again after everything that had happened. But he didn’t want Aaron to see that; he didn’t want Aaron to look at him the way he had in the ambulance on their way back from the parking garage. Not again. Not ever again.

He lowered himself carefully into the wheelchair. 

Vic walked into the room then, having just come back from signing him out at the front desk. “All ready then?” She asked brightly.

Robert nodded, trying to look optimistic. “All ready.” 

* * * *

As Aaron wheeled Robert out of the hospital, he noticed him shiver in the cold air and immediately shrugged off his coat and draped it over Robert’s shoulders. Aaron didn’t think much about it. It was automatic, like a reflex. After all the craziness, he’d forgotten that there was something very sensitive in his pocket.

It was only later, after he deposited Robert on the couch downstairs, went scrounging around the kitchen for the makings of a meal, and walked back into the living room to find Robert staring pale-faced at the envelope of pictures, that Aaron remembered that he had stowed it, days ago, in his coat pocket. He froze. 

Robert’s eyes rose to meet his. They were fearful, horrified, upset. “You saw them.” He whispered. “How did you…? Where did you find…?” He trailed off, his breathing growing erratic. 

Aaron flew to his side, falling to his knees in front of Robert, grasping both of Robert’s hands in his own. Robert’s eyes flickered chaotically to his face, away, down and then back again. “I saw them.” Aaron said, tears pricking at his eyes. “The envelope fell out of your pocket the other day when I… threw you out.” Robert closed his eyes, and sucked in a painful breath, his ribs aching and his throat burning. Aaron kept speaking, his voice croaky with regret. “I saw them and I realized why you got so upset. I was already on my way out the door to look for you, to apologize, before I found them. I just… I didn’t know how badly I’d screwed up, how massively I’d let you down, until I saw the pictures.” He looked down, ashamed, tears falling on the carpet below.

Robert’s head was spinning. He hadn’t even thought about the envelope, the pictures, hadn’t stopped for even a moment to wonder where the hell they were. If he had, he might have assumed they were somewhere inside the pile of mangled clothing on the floor of the hotel room. 

But they were here, in Aaron’s pocket. He’d never felt like crying more than he did right then. He covered his eyes with his hand and felt the strange, unfamiliar wetness. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. He felt Aaron pull him gently forward into his chest. 

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” 

CHAPTER XXVII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's reading and commenting and sending their love and support! It means so much and it honestly is what keeps me writing- so glad you guys are enjoying the story!


	28. CHAPTER XVIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam throws a tantrum. Robert opens up to Aaron about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit heavy on the dialogue but I think it's about time Robert got some things off his chest. 
> 
> Also, Adam's losing it and I'm very much enjoying writing those scenes. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me this long!

CHAPTER XXVIII

Robert woke up, blinking blearily. He was sprawled lengthwise across the couch, his head resting on Aaron’s lap. Aaron was snoring, his head lolling back onto the couch-back awkwardly. He grimaced with embarrassment. He’d literally cried himself to sleep last night. In front of Aaron. He rubbed a hand over his face harshly. When did he become such a wuss?

He looked up at Aaron’s sleeping face. He looked so tired. Robert stroked his cheek lightly, enjoying the familiar scratch of stubble. 

They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk last night. Robert had been a lachrymose mess and Aaron seemed to have sensed that he was far too emotional for any kind of productive dialogue to take place. So Robert had cried and Aaron had held him and somewhere along the way they’d both drifted off to sleep. 

He sighed. Knowing Aaron, he’d have questions; he’d want to know who, what, when, how. And Robert really, really didn’t want to tell him. But he wasn’t going to make the same mistake he’d made before. Aaron might have jumped to some wrong conclusions, but looking back, that was probably because he could tell Robert was holding something back, was circumventing the truth. So this time he would say what he could and tell Aaron he wasn’t ready to talk about the rest. He closed his eyes and drifted in and out of sleep, listening to the comforting rumble of Aaron’s snoring.

* * * *

“I was thinking, Chas’ll be busy looking after Liv, and Aaron’ll be busy looking after Robert so they probably won’t have time to shop for groceries for a proper meal.” Vic rattled on lightly as she scuttled expertly around the kitchen. “So I thought it’d be nice if we brought over some nice, homemade, easily reheat-able meals for them all.”

“Mm.” Adam answered, rolling his eyes at his wife. She was really getting on his nerves lately with all her worrying and mollycoddling. Robert this. Robert that. Blah blah blah.

“Oh and I know you’re heading to the scrapyard this morning for work and you’ve got a lot on your plate since Aaron won’t be able to help out for a while…” Vic continued, not noticing Adam’s fists clench in annoyance at the reminder that Aaron was going to be leaving him down a man once again. “But if you have a chance to stop by the pharmacy and pick up Rob’s prescription so we can deliver it and the food all at once, that’d be really helpful.”

A muscle twitched in Adam’s jaw. He missed a beat before answering. “Sure. No problem.”

“Oh and babe, Rob’s got an appointment later this week with the doctor whose supposed to help him start physical therapy for his shoulder and I’d really like to be there so I’m probably not going to have time to help out Moira like I promised. Can you let her know?“ Adam gnashed his teeth together angrily. Vic shut the oven and continued, not waiting for Adam to answer. “The doctor was saying Rob should—“

Adam exploded, “Christ, Vic! He’s a grown flippin’ man! Can we talk about something other than Robert flamin’ Sugden for one God damn minute!?” 

Vic gaped open-mouthed at Adam, who had flung his coffee mug against the wall where it had shattered into pieces. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times as she looked between Adam and the ceramic shards littering her kitchen. “Adam, what…?”

Adam’s eyes flashed angrily as he took in her flabbergasted expression. He spoke harshly, no apology in his voice. “I’ve gotta get to work.” He snatched his coat off its hook, strode out the door, and slammed it behind him.

Vic looked after him, stunned by his inexplicable rage. Where did that come from? Her eyes fell on a particularly large broken piece of coffee mug centimeters from her foot. She swallowed uneasily, wrapping her arms around herself. 

Since when was Adam violent?

* * * *

Robert opened his eyes to find Aaron gazing down at him, a worried crease between his brows. “Morning.” He said casually. Aaron tilted his head, asking permission to bring up the previous night’s conversation. Robert sighed and sat up gingerly so he and Aaron were situated side by side. He stared straight ahead at the empty television screen and began speaking. “Everything I told you before was true. It was someone older, someone… close to my family. I just let you think the relationship was…” Robert searched his mind for the right word.

Aaron provided one in a perturbed whisper. “Consensual.” 

Robert swallowed, still not looking in his direction, and continued. “No one ever knew, not Diane, not Vic or Andy. They never noticed anything was wrong.” He paused. “But I can’t really blame them for that.” He paused again, his voice lowering in volume and shaking slightly with shame. “I never told anyone.”

Aaron grasped his hand, asking quietly, “Why not, Rob?”

Robert shot a nervous glance at Aaron, his eyes flicking away again before he answered. “He told me no one would believe me, that they’d all think I was lying, that I’d lose everyone I loved, my family, my friends.” Aaron was very still next to him. Robert continued, swallowing back the bitter taste in his mouth. “I believed him.” 

Aaron didn’t say anything for a moment. He squeezed Robert’s hand tighter, his eyes blurring with tears. This was not the childhood he’d thought Robert had had. He’d thought the worst Robert had to deal with was a homophobic, overly-traditional parent. And now the truth was making his stomach turn and he was wondering how the hell his fiancé had survived so much, how he could be so strong and confident and amazing, after everything he’d been through. But that awe was soon replaced by anger as Aaron remembered the content of the pictures once more and growled his next question. “How did no one notice this was happening to you?”

Robert patted Aaron’s hand comfortingly and answered in a tired voice. “When people don’t want to see something, don’t want to believe something, they ignore it. That’s just the way people are.” 

Aaron shook his head, still angry. “But your parents, Vic, Andy? How could none of the people in your family have seen the bruises and the—?” Aaron stopped short at the pained look on Robert’s face. 

Robert swallowed, a wave of bitterness washing over him. “They thought I was trouble.” He said quietly, looking at Aaron sadly. “I had quite the reputation.” He took a deep breath and then launched into his story, his eyes going unfocused as he remembered. “When it first started… I sort of withdrew, didn’t want to see anyone, didn’t want to be around other people. And then, somewhere along the way, I got angry and that’s when I started to lash out at the people around me. I was mad all the time, not just at him, but at everyone. I started sleeping around, drinking, getting into fights. I went completely off the rails.” He peeked at Aaron who was watching his face with understanding eyes. Robert looked down at his hands, continuing. “So whenever they saw me with injuries or bruises or… they just assumed I’d been up to no good, didn’t even bother asking what had happened.” He blinked back the water in his eyes.

“But you got out.” Aaron said, squeezing Robert’s hand.

Robert nodded, his eyes flickering into Aaron’s. “I did.” He hesitated. 

Aaron noticed, his brow furrowing. “What?”

Robert grimaced. “It took me a while to… deal with what had happened. I was still sort of all over the place when I left on my own.” 

Aaron could tell he wasn’t going to like this. “Meaning?”

Robert avoided his eyes and shrugged, trying to keep it as vague as he could. “I was in some sketchy lines of work, was in with a lot of shady people. It took a few nasty wake-up calls for me to pull myself together, to start caring about my health and my life and my future again.” 

Aaron’s grip on Robert’s hand tightened, his eyes trained on Robert’s face. He had a bad feeling about this. “What kind of work are we talking about here?”

Robert didn’t look at him. “I think you can probably guess.”

Aaron swallowed past the painful lump in his throat. He didn’t want to think about that. “God, Robert. That’s so dangerous.” He rubbed a hand roughly over his face, upset. “You could have gotten hurt; you could have contracted a disease.”

“That was sort of the point.” Robert said, his voice low. Aaron closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear this. He didn’t want to hear. And then Robert uttered his name, his voice small and unsure. “Aaron?”

Aaron’s eyes flew open. Robert looked worried, his face pale. His eyes dimmed slightly at Aaron’s expression and he averted his gaze, turning his face away. “I shouldn’t have told you about that.” He whispered, his voice raw. 

Aaron placed a hand gently on Robert’s cheek, waiting until he reluctantly turned back to face him again. He stared into his eyes. “I’m glad you told me.” He swallowed, his voice coming out slightly choked. “It’s hard to hear. I… hate,” he spit the word, his gaze moving to the side as his eyes darkened, “that you went through all of that.” His eyes rose to meet Robert’s again. “But it made you who you are, and I love who you are.” His eyes welled up as he spoke. 

Robert blinked back the water brimming in his eyes, looking down now. “Thank you.” He whispered.

Aaron’s brow furrowed. “For what?”

Robert’s eyes flickered into his. “You’re still here.”

END of CHAPTER XXVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dawwww how i love lovey-dovey Robron scenes


	29. CHAPTER XXIX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron work together to cope with what happened. Adam continues to descend into madness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Sorry it took me so long to get this out, guys! I got super busy all of a sudden and had barely any time to write. I'm hoping to make up for taking so long with this longer-than-usual chapter. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting. And to everyone who's been sending me messages asking for updates, I can't tell you what it means to me that you're enjoying my story enough to write me and give me encouragement. :) Thank you so much! I'll try not to take so long again. ;D
> 
> I hope the chapter's worth the wait; I'm building up to the Adam-was-involved reveal. It should be coming real soon, potentially next chapter... So enjoy! Thanks for reading! And thanks for sticking with me this long! <3

CHAPTER XXIX

"Rob, sorry but... you really need a shower." Aaron said reluctantly, peeking at Robert, who was cuddled against him on the couch. 

"Ugh." Robert frowned at him unhappily. "I might need help... getting upstairs." 

Aaron rolled his eyes. "I'm obviously going to help you, muppet." He stood, grasping under Robert's arm and helping him ease up from the couch. "Slowly now." 

Robert laughed, slightly breathless from the effort. "You're good at this." He said quietly. 

Aaron blushed, avoiding his eyes, but his grip remained firm, not allowing any room for Robert to fall. They climbed the stairs slowly, Aaron pausing whenever he glimpsed any sign on Robert’s face that he was in pain. Robert tried not to let on that he was suffering, repressing each wince and groan. Aaron saw through him, though, for the most part, so it took a great deal of time to travel the usually insubstantial distance. 

Aaron noticed Robert lean on him just a bit more heavily at the top of the stairs, exhausted by the climb. "Babe, maybe it's too early for you to be walking around." He said worriedly.

Robert looked at him, his eyes tired but determined. "Just get me to the bathroom and I can take it from there." 

Aaron made a noise in the back of his throat. "I'll help you shower, Rob, I just don't want you to overexert yourself."

Robert avoided his gaze. "It's fine. I can do it myself."

Aaron's brow furrowed and he searched Robert's face, seeing something in his expression. He paused, then spoke in a whisper. "What don't you want me to see?" 

Robert's eyes flashed into his and then away again. “It just might be easier for both of us if I do it myself.”

Aaron shook his head vehemently, lowering his head so he could find Robert’s eyes. “No it wouldn’t. I don’t want us dancing around each other, trying to pretend nothing happened and I don’t want to be kept in the dark; I don’t want you hiding things from me.” 

Robert looked at him, measuring his sincerity, seeing he meant what he said. The long slashes on his back throbbed like a secret about to come out. He swallowed nervously and nodded at Aaron. “Okay.” He whispered.

Aaron grasped his arm, helping support his weight as they moved into the bathroom. He helped lower Robert to a sitting position on the bathtub. Robert tugged at the Velcro holding his sling on. Aaron reached over and helped him undo it, sliding the strap over Robert’s head and laying the sling on the floor. 

“Lift your arm.” Aaron instructed, pulling Robert’s shirt up gently and maneuvering it over his head, careful not to jar his injured shoulder in the process. “Okay, pants now.” Aaron moved slowly, doing his best to avoid any potential triggers. 

Robert watched Aaron’s face, checking constantly for any signs of distress. Aaron’s expression remained smooth. He slid Robert’s pants off, touching his skin as little as possible. 

“Okay, let’s get you sitting down in the bathtub.” Aaron said calmly. Robert sighed, grasping his outstretched hand and letting Aaron pull him to his feet. He swayed unsteadily for barely a second before Aaron moved forward to steady him. “Careful.” He chided.

And then Aaron froze, his muscles all tensing up at once in shock. 

Robert turned to see his fiancé looking sick, staring at the wounds on his back. He sighed internally. He hated seeing Aaron upset. This is why he’d wanted to do this by himself. He raised a hand and stroked Aaron’s cheek lightly, waiting for him to recover. “Aaron?” He prodded gently.

Aaron blinked back tears, his eyes shining with wetness as they flashed into Robert’s. His voice came out unsteady, croaking with distress. “What made those?”

Robert lowered his gaze, his eyes dimming as he flashed back to the hotel room for a moment. “Belt.” He answered in monotone. 

Aaron had to fight with all his willpower to stuff down the fury, the guilt, the hopeless regret that had just crashed down on him with crushing weight. He couldn’t break down now. He’d told Robert he could handle this, that he didn’t want to be shielded from the truth of what had happened. And now he had to be the strong one, had to be tough, had to put Robert first and deal with his emotions, his issues, his weaknesses, later. He ground his teeth together and closed his eyes briefly as he fought the emotions, wrestled them into submission. And then he opened his eyes and controlled his voice and spoke as calmly as he could manage. “Hold on to my arm so you don’t fall.” 

Robert looked up at him, searching his expression, reading Aaron’s intentions on his face. He nodded, understanding, and grabbed hold of Aaron’s arm. Aaron was being strong for him. A warm fluttering in his heart nearly brought tears to his eyes: no one had ever loved him enough to put him first like this, before anyone and everyone else. He blinked back the tears. Him crying would not be helpful right now. 

Aaron helped him sit down in the bathtub, falling into a crouch beside him. He paused, leaning in for just a moment and touching his forehead to Robert’s, like he was grounding himself. And then he leaned back, his calm façade firmly in place. “Come on, let’s get you washed up.”

* * * *

It was only much later, after Aaron had put Robert to bed and watched him sleep for a while, that the emotions he had suppressed came rushing back to the surface. Tears began to run silently down his face as he laid in bed looking at his fiancé’s peaceful face. There was still the shadow of a bruise across his cheekbone. 

Aaron clamped a hand over his mouth as a sob threatened to escape. Why had this happened? How could this have happened? All the unanswerable questions that plague people most during times of grief chased each other around his brain. Had all of this really transpired within the span of just a few days? How could so much have changed so quickly? 

It took him a long time to cry himself out, to expel all the grief. Finally, unable to cry any more, his eyes red and dry, he settled back into bed and drifted off to the sound of Roberts breathing.

* * * *

Robert kept and eye on Aaron the next morning. His eyes were red; he'd been crying. He didn't say anything, nor did Aaron mention anything about being upset, but Robert thought his fiancé seemed emotionally exhausted, having had to deal with too much too quickly. 

Aaron needed a day off from worrying about him. He needed some distance from the situation, a normal, everyday distraction. Convincing Aaron to leave him for any length of time would be extremely difficult, but with a bit of scheming he came up with a plan. "Aaron, I want to head into the office and check in with Nicola. Can you give me a ride?” 

Aaron blinked in surprise. “You want to go back to work?” His voice was higher pitched than usual. “You just got out of the hospital, Rob. You’re not supposed to be moving around too much.” 

Robert grabbed Aaron’s hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “I just want to go sit at my desk, do some paperwork, call some clients, you know: the boring, stationary stuff.” 

Aaron’s brow was furrowed with worry, but he nodded anyway, thinking Robert could use a little bit of normal. “Okay. Adam could probably use a hand up at the scrap yard so I’ll head up there while you’re at work.” He looked down and rubbed his thumb back and forth over the back of Robert’s hand. “Promise you’ll call me the second you want to leave. I’ll pick you up.” 

Robert smiled at him. “I will.”

* * * *

“Didn’t think I’d see your face ‘round here for a while.” Adam said, only the smallest note of bitterness creeping its way into his voice.

Aaron didn’t notice and shrugged in response. “Rob wanted to get some work done at Home James so I thought I’d put in some hours up here while he’s busy.” 

Adam’s face twisted into a scowl at the mention of Robert, but he turned away first so Aaron wouldn’t see. “Great, great.” He said, unnaturally chipper, his back to Aaron.

Aaron’s brow furrowed. Was he imagining it or was Adam acting odd? He shook himself. He had a lot of work to do and he’d better get started. He made his way into the portacabin, settling down at his desk and beginning to work through the heap of paperwork that had piled up in his absence. He made decent progress, despite constantly checking his phone for any texts or calls from Robert. He’d somehow developed an almost crippling paranoia that his phone wouldn’t do its job and alert him to incoming messages. He had to perform visual checks, turning the phone on and perusing the home screen just to make sure. No calls. No texts. Okay. And then a few minutes would pass and the paranoia would kick in again and he’d have to recheck. It was impressive he got anything done, really.

When the sky started to darken outside the portacabin window, Aaron stood up and stretched. That was long enough. He needed to see Rob. The pull was back, like a string tied around his heart, tugging him towards the door, urging him to close the distance between him and his fiancé. He shrugged his coat on, snatched up his phone, and texted Robert on the way out the door. ‘On my way to pick you up. Hope you didn’t tire yourself out too much.’

He walked past Adam, waving goodbye. Adam glared at him, not hiding the bitterness, the anger. It was all right there on his face, plain as day for Aaron to see. Aaron stopped short, completely taken by surprise by the venom in Adam’s expression. Had he done something to make Adam upset? He swallowed, his voice coming out hoarse with surprise. “Adam? Is everything okay?”

Adam’s expression twisted into an off-putting smirk. His voice was dripping with resentment when he answered. “Oh no, Aaron. Everything’s just great. My business partner just doesn’t ever do any fucking work!” He hissed the last word, practically snarling.

Aaron actually backed up, looking Adam up and down, wondering who the hell he was talking to. Because this wasn’t Adam. This wasn’t his friend. He spoke quietly. “Adam, you know my first priority right now has to be taking care of Rob. I’ll make it up to you, I’ll work twice as hard when I get back to work, but I need to be looking after my fiancé now.”

Adam stalked forward, anger contorting his expression strangely, making him look slightly mad. “Oh yes. Everyone’s just so worried about poor Robert.” He spat Robert’s name. “It’s just Robert this and Robert that with you people.” He stopped in front of Aaron, his face jutting forward aggressively. “Maybe you should think about getting a fucking life, you and Vic both.” He spun around and stormed into the portacabin, slamming the door behind him.

Aaron stood rooted to the spot, stunned. What the hell was going on with Adam?

* * * *

Aaron gave Robert a long hug when he picked him up from work. 

“What’s wrong?” Robert asked softly, rubbing Aaron’s back soothingly.

Aaron thought about telling him about what had transpired with Adam, but immediately changed his mind when he saw how much calmer and healthier Robert looked after just a small respite from all the insanity. His cheeks had some color, the circles under his eyes looked a little less permanent, and the haunted look that Aaron had grown accustomed to seeing behind his eyes was diminished. So he decided to spare Robert the drama. “Missed you.” He answered, burying his face in Robert’s shoulder to increase the closeness. 

Robert kissed him on the cheek. “Missed you too.”

* * * *

It was a rough night that night. 

Robert bolted upright in bed, his breathing chaotic, his face pale. He fumbled with the covers, pushing himself out of bed and lurching out the door and down the hallway towards the bathroom. 

Aaron was jarred awake by the sudden movement. He opened his eyes just in time to see Robert pitch himself out the door of their room. He jumped out of bed. “Rob?” He called, following after hurriedly. 

Robert emptied his stomach, barely having made it to the bathroom in time. Aaron crouched down next to him, somehow intuitively knowing not to touch his fiancé at that moment. Robert sat back wearily against the wall, shaking and exhausted. Aaron sat next to him, saying nothing, just being there.

It was a while before Robert found his voice again. He spoke in a tired, croaky whisper, looking down at his hands. “And here I thought I was handling it all so well.” He peeked at Aaron. “But I guess not.” Aaron responded by pulling Robert wordlessly into his chest.

They didn’t go back to bed that night, instead parking themselves in front of the TV and flipping through channels aimlessly. When Robert tried to convince Aaron to get some sleep, his fiancé shook his head and scooted closer, taking his hand and not letting go.

Chas and Liv came downstairs in the morning to find the two men on their third cup of tea, reading the paper with tired eyes. They noticed Aaron stealing glances at Robert, checking on him whenever he wasn’t looking. And they saw how Robert looked a bit pale under his freckles, how his hands shook the slightest bit when he poured himself a fourth cup of tea. Neither Robert nor Aaron said anything about why they were up so early, about what had occurred during the night to put them both in their current states, but Chas and Liv intuited that Robert had had a difficult night, that Aaron had stayed up to help him through it. And so they made no comment and were both just a bit less sarcastic and a bit more helpful than normal. 

Liv left in time to catch her bus, not even needing poking and prodding to get her out the door. Aaron didn’t have the time to drive her to school right now, to argue with her about going. She understood.

Chas, too, fluttered around the kitchen, fixing breakfast for the two of them in true mother-hen style. She patted them each gently on the shoulder as she left. Hang in there, you two.

* * * *

Robert made no mention of going to work that day. He was too exhausted, too drained from the night. Aaron stuck by him, talking little, but staying physically close and in contact. It helped. It helped a lot. Robert smiled gratefully at him, not having the words to express how much it meant.

Around ten that morning, Vic knocked softly on their door, letting herself inside. They both looked up to see her eyes were red from crying, underlined by bruise-like rings. Robert stood up quickly, moving over to her, his brow furrowed with worry. “Vic? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Vic threw her arms around her brother, weeping into his shoulder. Aaron hovered nearby, mirroring Robert’s look of concern. “Adam hasn’t come home for two days.” She sobbed. Robert stiffened. She continued to cry. “We got in this stupid fight and he just hasn’t come home since. I still don’t even know what it was about.” She sniffled, confused.

Robert frowned, a rush of anger coursing through his bloodstream. So now Adam was making his sister cry. That didn’t sit well with him. The man was going off the deep end, losing his shit. He didn’t have the constitution to keep his betrayal a secret. It was going to come out, Robert realized. Unless Adam reigned himself in and fixed things with Vic… they were going to figure out he was involved, that he’d helped Strauss. 

He swallowed nervously, hugging Vic. He didn’t want her life that she’d built to fall apart, and he definitely didn’t want it to be because of him. The words he’d heard throughout his life reverberated inside his skull. ‘You destroy everything you touch.’ ‘You’re not fit to mix with decent people.’ ‘You’re poison.’ Maybe all of that was true. Look at how his coming back to Emmerdale had destroyed his siblings’ lives, first Andy’s, now Vic’s. Look at how much pain he’d brought Aaron, at the beginning during the affair, and then over and over again after that. Maybe he was poisonous to the people he loved.

He was yanked out of his deep contemplation by the sharp rap of knuckles on the door. He kept one arm around Vic, turning to see who it was Aaron was letting in. 

One of the two detectives that had been lead on his case walked in, nodding a hello before speaking to him directly. “Mr. Sugden,” the detective looked at Vic and Aaron and seemed to change his mind about what to say in front of them, “there are some matters in your case that we need to talk to you about. Would you be able to come down to the station?” 

Robert’s brow furrowed. Had the police found evidence of Adam’s involvement? He peeked at Aaron, who looked even more confused than him, and then back at the officer. “I guess.” He answered, hesitantly. The officer gestured for him to go first out the door. 

“Wait,” Aaron piped up, looking at Robert, “do you want me to come with you?” He asked, searching Robert’s face. 

Robert shook his head, smiling softly at his fiancé. “It’s okay.” He said, jerking his head inconspicuously towards Vic. “Take care of Vic till I get back, will you.” 

Aaron’s forehead wrinkled with worry, but he nodded. “Okay. Call me if you need me.”

“I will.” Robert said, kissing Aaron lightly on the cheek. He squeezed Vic’s shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay.” 

She smiled tearfully at him. “Okay.”

He followed the police officer out the door. As they approached the cruiser, Robert asked the burning question, his heart beating more quickly in anticipation of the answer. “What’s this about?”

The officer looked at him, a strange expression on his face, something like pity, but more deep-seated. Something like empathy, but with a certain inability to completely understand fully acknowledged. “We found something.”

END of CHAPTER XXIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm... so yeah maybe it's a bit of a cliffhanger... what can I say? I really like those...
> 
> What do you guys think the police found?


	30. CHAPTER XXX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert talks to the police. Aaron and Vic compare notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting there, getting there. I know it's been a long wait for the Adam reveal. I promise it is coming... just not this chapter. Maybe next time... no promises though ;D
> 
> I have to see where the story takes me...

CHAPTER XXX

The officer refused to say more during the drive to the station. Robert fidgeted nervously, his leg bouncing up and down, a motion he was forced to cease when it caused his broken ribs to twinge painfully. He sat still for the rest of the car ride.

When they arrived at the station, the officer led him inside, slowing his pace so Robert could keep up without reinjuring himself. The officer indicated Robert should sit at a larger table, usually utilized for police briefings. A few other policemen were sat around the table already, seemingly awaiting his arrival. 

Once Robert had situated himself in his chair, the other lead officer on his case stepped forward and handed him a file, saying, “These pictures were found in a storage locker purchased by Mr. Strauss.”

Robert closed his eyes. Dammit. They’d found the pictures. He sighed, opening his eyes warily and looking inside the file. There they were, haunting him again. The images glared back at him. He felt a bit sick as he realized everyone sitting at the table had seen them. “Why are you showing these to me?” He asked quietly, his voice brittle.

The officer looked uncomfortable. “Mr. Sugden, these pictures are evidence of the sexual assault of a minor… you, as a minor.” Robert’s eyes dulled. He didn’t want to have this conversation again. “There is no statute of limitations for this type of crime, which means,” he waited for Robert to meet his eyes before finishing, “whoever did this to you, we can still put him behind bars. The justice system can still right this wrong.” He sounded hopeful, almost childlike, spouting ideals about justice and retribution. 

Robert shook his head. “He’s dead. Has been for a long time now.” He didn’t meet any of their eyes while he spoke. There was restless shifting around him. 

“We need a name… We need to know who the perpetrator was so we can close the case. Otherwise, we’ll be forced to investigate on our own, to ask your friends and family questions.” The officer looked extremely uncomfortable.

Robert was shaking his head, upset now. “You can’t. No one in my family knows anything about this.” His eyes flickered around the table to the different solemn faces. He took a deep breath, realizing he was going to have to tell them. He stared at the table, his teeth clenching together. It took a moment for him to work up to the admission before he disclosed the secret. “It was my father.” 

There was a collective intake of breath, followed by an aporetic silence. “Jack Sugden?” Someone asked dubiously. More silence followed, the air heavy with skepticism.

Robert glared around at them all. “Well?” He asked in a knowing whisper. “Aren’t you happy you got your fucking name?” He stood, shaking his head. He’d always known what would happen if he told someone, known as a kid even. Jack Sugden was a well-liked, salt of the Earth farmer and people were much more inclined to believe that he, Robert, was a lying, attention-seeking degenerate than that his father was anything but decent and honest. The familiar bitterness burned like acid at the back of his throat. His hands clenched into fists as he controlled the anger, reigned it in and pushed it down. This was how people were. This was just the way the world worked, he reminded himself. He took a stuttering breath as he walked away from the group of disbelieving police officers and out of the station. 

He walked for a while, ignoring the aches and pains needling him, ignoring that he was not supposed to be walking around like this and potentially making his injuries worse. He walked until he found himself completely alone, in a deserted area where no one could see him break down. And then he sat on the ground, leaning back against a brick wall, and let the tears fall. He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling small, like he was that same helpless kid again, waiting, wishing that someone, anyone, would care enough about him to notice he wasn’t okay, to notice something bad was happening to him.

He didn’t stay there long, just a few minutes, just long enough to let the crying wash away the anger and the bitterness that had built up inside his chest. He wiped his eyes, almost laughing at himself, feeling calmer, more in control of his thoughts. That was enough of that. 

It was time to go back home and see the people that loved him.

* * * *

Aaron made Vic a cup of tea. She was calmer now, though her cheeks were still flushed and wet from her crying earlier. She was introspective, staring into her cup, when Aaron finally spoke up, needing to tell her she wasn’t the only one Adam was lashing out at. “Vic, listen, just yesterday I saw Adam at the scrapyard and he completely lost it with me as well.” Vic looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. Aaron continued, shaking his head in confusion. “I’m still not totally sure what he was upset about… First he was shouting about me not putting in enough hours at the scrapyard.” He swallowed, meeting Vic’s eyes. “I guess I can’t deny I haven’t been all that reliable lately as a business partner.” 

Vic grasped Aaron’s hand, her eyes full of understanding. “You’ve had a lot to deal with lately, between Liv coming to stay and having to deal with my brother and all of his craziness.” She smiled slightly, but it faded quickly. “And now, with what’s happened, he needs you more than ever.” She frowned as her thoughts returned to Adam. “Adam knows all that. He’s talked to me about it, about how he didn’t mind covering, how he knew you’d do the same for him if he needed you to.” Her brows furrowed. “At least, that’s what he said before all this.”

Aaron mirrored her expression. “It was weird, though.” He continued. “That’s sort of what I said, you know. I’ve had a lot to deal with. I’ll make up for it. I’ll work twice as hard and all that.” He swallowed. “But he just got even more pissed when I said I needed to take care of Rob, that I had to put him first right now.” He looked at Vic, confused. “He lost it, started yelling about how I was always worrying about Rob, how I needed to get a life, how both of us needed to get a life, actually.” 

Vic blinked, remembering Adam had said something similar when he’d gotten upset with her. “He was saying something like that before too, Aaron, something about how I was always worrying about Robert and couldn’t we talk about something else for once…”

They looked at each other, completely baffled. 

“Maybe he’s going through something and we’ve been too focused on Robert to notice?” Vic wondered out loud.

“Maybe he’s lost his damn mind.” Aaron huffed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and remembering how unhinged Adam had looked the other day. He’d actually thought he was going to take a swing at him. 

“Should I go up to the scrapyard? Try and talk to him?” Vic asked, unsure about how to approach this strange, irate version of Adam.

Aaron frowned and shook his head. “I think it might be better to let him cool off, work things out on his own first.” He looked at her and saw, to his surprise, that Vic was nodding in agreement, looking almost relieved. 

She noticed his surprise and frowned, avoiding his gaze. She spoke quietly, a sad, perturbed edge to her voice. “I’ve never seen him get angry like that, Aaron. He was out of control, throwing things, breaking things. And he didn’t look sorry when he left, not at all.”

* * * *

Robert took a cab home, not willing to return to the police station. When he walked inside, he found Aaron and Vic sitting at the kitchen table looking solemn. “Hey, what did I miss?” 

Vic ignored his question, standing up to give her brother another hug. Robert hugged her back, puzzled. 

“What did the police want to talk to you about?” Aaron asked from the table. Robert sent him a ‘why did you have to ask that in front of Vic?’ look, before settling into his lie with a shrug and a “More of the same. They wanted to know if I remembered anything else.” Vic seemed to buy it, not raising any objections. Aaron heard the lie, but was appeased by Robert mouthing that he would tell him the truth later over Vic’s shoulder. He looked down at Vic, who was still hiding her face from him. His voice was soft, worried. “Hey, are you doing alright? Did you want to talk?”

Vic finally let go and stepped back, smiling unconvincingly up at her brother. “Don’t worry, Rob. Aaron’s sorted me out. I’ll leave you two be.” She waved, not looking at him as she strode from the room and out the door. 

He watched her leave, puzzled, and then turned to Aaron. “What’s that about?” 

Aaron frowned, wondering whether he should bother Robert with the Adam drama after all. He decided he should. “We talked about Adam, about how he’s been acting… out of character lately.” Robert didn’t say anything. Aaron continued. “He flipped out at me yesterday, when I went up to the scrapyard.” 

Robert searched Aaron’s face, surprised by the new information, wondering why this was the first he was hearing about it. “And you didn’t tell me about that because…?” He asked, guessing the answer.

“You have enough on your plate, Rob.” Aaron answered quietly. 

Robert sighed. “What’s Vic going to do?” 

Aaron shrugged, uncomfortable with how unsure he suddenly was about his best friend’s mental state. “We decided it’d be best to give him some time to sort things out on his own.” 

Robert raised an eyebrow, taken off guard by Aaron’s indirect approach. It was obvious Aaron and Vic didn’t know about Adam’s involvement in his kidnapping; they’d both be way more upset than they currently were. But something had happened that had made them wary. They weren’t rushing to Adam’s side to figure out what was wrong, to try and support him. Instead, they were backing off, giving him space, as if he was a wounded predator, injured, but too dangerous to approach. The question was: how did they know that? Had Aaron glimpsed the madness in Adam’s eyes? Had Vic? 

He couldn’t hold back the question, suddenly worried for his loved ones, his eyes scanning for any sign that Aaron had been hurt. “He didn’t hurt either of you?” 

Aaron’s eyes flicked to Robert’s face, surprised by the question, confused when he saw legitimate concern there. 

“Why would you ask me that?” 

END of CHAPTER XXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm already writing the next one so stay tuned this weekend for another chapter! <3
> 
> Thanks as always to everybody who's reading and commenting! :D


	31. CHAPTER XXXI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron talk about Adam. The police do some police work. Adam loses it with Vic and then gets a call. Robert and Aaron have a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I was going to have Adam get found out this chapter... but it ended up getting too long so that's happening next chapter, I promise. No seriously thought, next chapter. I'm actually almost done writing the next one so it's possible I'll update again before the end of the day... but at the latest that one will be posted tomorrow. 
> 
> Anyhow, I hope you enjoy what I came up with. I don't know why, but I ended up getting really mushy and emotional with Aaron and Robert. It wasn't my original intention... it just sort of happened. Maybe my emotions are impacting my writing...?
> 
> Hope you guys like it! Thanks again for reading and commenting!

CHAPTER XXXI

Robert was backpedaling immediately, his hands raised in a peacemaking gesture. “I just got worried ‘cause you’re suddenly giving him space. That’s not exactly your usual approach when someone you care about is having trouble.” 

Aaron bought it, his shoulders slumping disconsolately. He lowered his gaze, guilt clear on his face, effectively redirected. “I just don’t know what to do. He was so… agitated, like he was so angry he didn’t know what to do with himself. Adam’s not… I mean, in all the years I’ve know him, I’ve never seen him fly into a rage like that. It was weird, Rob.”

Robert’s brow furrowed. Adam was losing it, actually going insane. Maybe by staying quiet he wasn’t doing Vic and Aaron any favors. Maybe Adam was beyond saving. And, he thought, if Adam had decided he didn’t care about his relationships with Aaron and Vic, then there was nothing stopping him from taking action to make sure the only person who knew what he’d done was silenced. Robert noticed his hands shaking and hid them behind his back. He walked forward and sat in the chair across from Aaron. It was time to tell him. He opened his mouth.

And then Aaron was speaking again, not having noticed Robert’s silent struggle. “He’s my best friend.” He said quietly. “He’s been there for me my whole life, helped me deal with so much shit.” He stared down at the table. Robert closed his mouth, committed to his original choice to stay silent once more, and reached across the table to hold Aaron’s hand. Aaron squeezed his hand, letting himself be comforted by the contact. “I just don’t know what to do, how to help him. I don’t even know what set him off in the first place.” 

Robert clenched his teeth together. Adam wouldn’t react well to Aaron poking and prodding for answers. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe he just needs some time to sort himself. He’ll talk to you about it when he’s ready.” He managed to speak softly, soothingly, but his heart was pounding in his chest. 

Aaron looked at him. “You really think so? You think it’s the right call to just leave him be for now?” 

Robert nodded. “Wait for him to approach you. You don’t want to push him.” 

Aaron nodded hesitantly at him. “Alright.” He took a good look at his fiancé’s face for the first time since he came back from the police station. His eyes were red, redder than they’d been when he left. “What did the police want to talk to you about?” 

Robert sighed, lowering his gaze. “They found the originals of the pictures.” Aaron stiffened, taken by surprise. 

He waited for Robert to continue, but he didn’t. “And?” He finally prodded.

Robert still didn’t look at him. “They wanted a name.”

Aaron was still. Robert hadn’t volunteered a name when he’d told him the truth about the pictures. He hadn’t wanted to pry, comforted enough by Robert’s assurance that the man was dead, but he couldn’t help that he still felt like he needed to know, like he had to put a face to the monster. He’d ruminated about it a few times since he’d gotten a look at the pictures. Where had he seen that chequered cap before? 

“Did you tell them?” He asked, gently.

Robert looked at him, his eyes sad. “I did.” Aaron’s brow furrowed. “They didn’t… I don’t think any of them…” Robert struggled to string the words together. Tears pricked his eyes as the feelings from earlier that day rose up in him again. “They didn’t believe me.” He whispered, blinking rapidly to staunch the impending flow of tears.

Aaron was moving around the table, pulling Robert up from his chair, and gathering him in a hug, before his brain even had time to process what he’d said. He’d caught a glimpse of something in Robert’s expression, a resigned hopelessness, a childlike helplessness. It scared him. It scared him more than his fiancé waking up in a panic after horrible nightmares. It scared him more than the dull look that came over Robert’s eyes when something reminded him of his recent trauma. It made him want to hold on tight, to tether Robert to the moment so the past couldn’t hurt him. He wanted to ask more questions, wanted to ask how the police could possibly not believe him, could doubt him after everything, but he stopped himself, clinging on even tighter. 

Robert was unnaturally still, as if scared that, with even the slightest movement, he would fall to pieces. He didn’t want to break down again. He was tired of crying, tired of feeling like he’d been abandoned by the world. He finally pulled back from Aaron, avoiding his eyes. “Let’s go to bed. It’s been a long day.” 

Aaron watched Robert’s face, saw his features settle into a carefully crafted mask, looked on as his fiancé started up the stairs towards their room. He followed close behind, a chill creeping over him, telling him he couldn’t leave things like this, that there was something pestilential eating away at Robert’s soul, something a good night’s sleep wouldn’t fix. 

Once they were both in their room, Aaron spoke up. “Rob, wait.” Robert looked at him with guarded eyes. He moved forward, placing his hands gently on the sides of Robert’s face. “I know today must have been horrible for you. But, please,” his voice broke with emotion, “please, don’t shut down on me.” 

There was a flicker behind Robert’s eyes at Aaron’s words, a crack forming in his defenses. All the pain, the desperation, the feelings of betrayal bubbled up in his chest, shone through in his eyes. 

There was a rawness to the hurt that had Aaron tearing up and leaning forward to rest his forehead against his fiancé’s. “The police are idiots.” He said roughly, angry that they had carelessly opened up an old wound, that they had hit Robert where he was most vulnerable. He’d talked to his fiancé about this subject enough to know that people not believing, people turning their backs on him, was one of his worst fears, one of his most deep-seated insecurities. “You didn’t tell me who it was, and that’s alright,” Aaron said quietly, “but you know I would believe you, no matter what. You know that, don’t you?”

Robert fell apart at his words, the mask crumbling to dust. The floodgates were open for the second time that day, but this time, he couldn’t seem to slow the sobs wracking his body, couldn’t seem to push the grief, the desolation, back down. Aaron just held him, let him cry himself out, his heart breaking at the sight of Robert looking so broken. His own tears dropped silently onto Robert’s shoulder. 

He felt Robert’s fingers close around the material of his hoodie, as if he was anchoring himself, trusting Aaron to keep him afloat in the sea of depression trying to suck him below the surface, trying to drown him in its vastness. There was nothing more to say. He was there and, this time, Robert knew it. This time he wouldn’t let him down. 

They didn’t speak any more that night, curling up together in their bed and falling into an exhausted slumber.

* * * *

There was a general refusal to accept what Robert Sugden had confessed at the police station. Many of the officers present had known Jack Sugden, or, at the very least had heard only good things about him from their parents, who had known him. Perhaps, Robert had been confused by his recent trauma. Or perhaps he was protecting the real culprit, while simultaneously trying to settle an old grudge he had against his deceased father. Either way, they would not drag the name of a respected man like Jack Sugden through the mud based solely on a claim, unsupportable by evidence. They had put it from their minds, with only the occasional huff of annoyance from the older officers in the station to remind them that the claim had been made at all.

The next day, a new hire, fresh out of the academy, found something on the security footage from inside the hospital. It had been overlooked, as it was labeled as ‘vending machine security footage’ and was, therefore, deemed unlikely to yield any useful evidence by the majority of the higher ranking officers working the case. He noticed a man pop open a bag of crisps that he’d bought from a hospital vending machine and sneakily drop what looked like a syringe into the bag. Then the man proceeded to crumple the bag up carefully, not having eaten a single crisp, and toss it in a nearby rubbish bin. He made his way towards the victim’s room, where doctors and nurses had already gathered in a hurry, and he waited for the return of his friends.

At first, the young officer thought he must have misunderstood what he’d seen. This man was Adam Barton, a close, trusted friend of both of the victim’s loved ones. He’d been vetted prior to being allowed access to the victim’s room. The officer watched the footage again. Then he replayed it one more time, freeze framing on the syringe-like object peeking only slightly out of the bag of crisps. 

While the angle wasn’t great, and the syringe was only partially visible, the officer was left with little doubt about what he was seeing, which meant it was time to alert his superior officer.

* * * *

Vic sat in a near trance-like state at her kitchen table when Adam banged in through their front door for the first time in days. She stood with a start, gaping at his unkempt form. “Adam?” She asked, stunned by his sudden appearance.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, appraising her mood. “Yeah, it’s me.” He answered, unnecessarily. 

She remained rooted to the spot, not sure whether to approach her husband. “Where…” she swallowed nervously, “where have you been?” Adam didn’t look at her. “I’ve been worried.” She mumbled quietly, her voice thick with emotion.

He spoke without looking at her, his voice bitter. “Didn’t Aaron tell you I was up at the scrapyard?”

She wrapped her arms around herself, unnerved by Adam’s tone. “He said you two had a row, that you were really upset.”

Adam kept his eyes trained on the wall, not meeting Vic’s concerned gaze. “I’m surprised he even paid me enough attention to notice.” His voice was harsh, the hard edge palpable.

Vic's brow furrowed. "Of course he noticed." She responded weakly. She didn't know how to talk to this Adam, this irate, short-fused version of her husband. "Are you really upset because… I mean is this really about Aaron and I spending so much time worrying about Rob?" She forced herself to ask the question, convinced she was missing some larger issue, sure Adam couldn't be that petty.

He was growling in her face all of a sudden. "Don't talk like I'm some errant child, Vic. You and Aaron have been doting all over your brother like he's some kind of martyr, like he’s some poor, pathetic little victim. What a joke." 

Vic’s forehead wrinkled, her brain having trouble computing the venomous words. “We’ve been worried about him, Adam. Of course we have.” There was a plea in her eyes. Understand. Hear reason. Don’t be like this. “He’s still dealing with what happened. He had to go down to the station and relive the whole nightmare for the police again—“

Adam’s eyes widened at her words. Robert was talking to the police. 

Son of a bitch. 

He felt his adrenaline spike, felt his heartbeat pick up, felt the palms of his hands go slick with sweat. What had Robert said? Had he narked? Had that little weasel of a brother-in-law narked on him?

Vic continued to speak, watching with concern as the blood drained from Adam’s face for some unknown reason. Her voice was pleading again. “But everything is starting to settle down. I really think things will begin to go back to normal, so if you could just be patient, bare with Aaron and I being overprotective for a bit longer…” She trailed off as Adam’s hands clenched into fists and his eyes blackened with rage. 

Vic backed up from him, trembling with fear. “Please calm down, Adam." She whispered, her voice shaking. 

He shook his head, his lip curling in derision. "You don't see him for what he is, but I do." And then he hissed the words that he couldn't come back from, that Vic would never forget. "It would have been better, for you and for Aaron, if we hadn't gotten to that parking garage in time."

Vic felt feint. What? Adam looked back with cold eyes, jeering at her. She sank down to the floor, clasping the edge of her kitchen table with cold fingers. "Why would you say that!?" She shouted at him, but her voice shook unsteadily, rendering her shout less than intimidating. "How could you say something so horrible?" 

He knelt down in front of her, his eyes wild, his voice velvety soft. "It's true. You know it's true, Vic. You don't need him. I'm the one who's looked after you and Aaron all these years. Me." His eyes flickered back and forth between hers. "I'm the one you need. Not him."

She leaned away from him, terrified of the man in front of her. He was manic, delusional maybe... utterly unrecognizable. 

He noticed it, the fear in her eyes, and it made him angry. She wasn't on his side anymore; she wasn't even trying to understand. She was picking her brother over him.

He stood up abruptly, not looking at her, and he turned around and left, leaving her huddled on the floor, trembling. 

He'd only just slammed the front door behind himself when his phone buzzed with an incoming call. He answered, remnants of anger hardening his voice. "Yes?"

"Mr. Barton, this is Detective Cooper. Would you be able to make a trip down to the station? We've got some questions to ask you about your brother-in-law's case." Detective Cooper's voice wasn't hostile or suspicious. The police weren't showing up with handcuffs to arrest him. Whether or not he went in to answer questions was made to sound like it was up to him. But there was something, some sixth sense, whispering in his ear, warning him it was a trap, warning him that the police knew what he'd done.

He answered in a light, calm voice. "Of course, detective. I don't know how much help I can be; I didn't see anything." He managed to sound almost apologetic. 

"Sometimes people tend to remember different details once they've had a bit of time to process a stressful event. You might remember something seemingly unimportant, but it could help us piece together the bigger picture and figure out what happened. We'd really appreciate just a half hour of your time." Detective Cooper ran through the usual monologue.

The detective was placating him. Adam could tell. Just come in for half an hour, he'd said. We'd appreciate even a little bit of your time, he'd said. If he went there, they'd arrest him. He could feel it.

The voice of reason, barely present within his mind as of late, spoke in the back of his head. Maybe the police had found something. Maybe the call had nothing to do with Robert at all. He shook his head. That was impossible. He thought back to every carefully contrived step. He'd received the syringe in a camera blind spot and he’d disposed of it in one as well. The call he’d received from Strauss was from a burner phone, so it couldn’t be traced. 

There was no proof. There was no evidence. There was nothing linking him to what had happened. There was nothing for the police to find.

And that could only mean that the one loose end, the one person that knew he’d helped Strauss, that person was talking to the police. That little weasel. That fucking nark.

An eerie calm settled over Adam as he realized what this meant. The time to hold himself back was over. He had loose ends to tie up, threats to follow through on. He really should have just handled Robert Sugden right from the beginning.

END of CHAPTER XXXI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnnnnn
> 
> ;D


	32. CHAPTER XXXII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam finally gets his comeuppance. Vic and Aaron have some choice words for Robert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! It's finally here! I hope I did the moment justice :D

CHAPTER XXXII

Aaron was lying in bed looking at his fiancé’s face, worrying. 

“’M fine, Aaron.” Robert grumbled, squinting up at him. Aaron’s forehead crinkled even further. Robert grabbed a fistful of Aaron’s hoodie and pulled him closer. “Your going to go prematurely gray if you keep this up.” He kissed him lightly on the lips and then snuggled into Aaron’s chest.

Aaron ran a hand through Robert’s hair, enjoying the closeness, letting himself be comforted the tiniest bit. 

Last night, Robert had scared him. He’d had that look in his eyes, the look that said ‘if I were to disappear, would anyone in this horrible, hurtful world even notice?’ It reminded him of the look he used to have, back when he’d felt like it was all too much, like he didn’t want to do it anymore, right before he’d tried to end it all. 

“Rob.” He croaked out, a painful, fearful, desperate edge to his voice.

Robert’s eyes flew to Aaron’s face. Aaron had seen it, him at his lowest, at his breaking point. The insecure, desperate little boy inside him had surfaced, had shown himself, for the first time in his life, to another person. He felt so exposed, more vulnerable than ever before. But Aaron was there, worried as hell, but still looking at him with the same love, the same promise that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he’d be there for him no matter what. He stroked the worry lines on Aaron’s face and spoke as honestly as he could. "I had a low moment." Aaron watched him carefully. "But I'm feeling a lot better." He promised, holding Aaron’s eyes. 

Aaron searched his fiancé's face for a long moment before nodding, relieved. "Good." He grasped Robert's hand and rested his cheek on top of Robert’s head. "If you have another moment, tell me." 

Robert smiled into Aaron’s chest and said without hesitation. “I will.” And he meant it. He really, really did. 

The two men remained wrapped around each other as they drifted off once more, feeling closer and more in love than ever.

* * * *

Aaron's phone pinged on his bedside table. Vic's name showed on the screen. He answered it, slipping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him. "Vic?"

"Aaron, I think... I think something's really wrong with Adam. He came home and he was raving like a lunatic, saying things that he would never... things that I know he would never say." She paused, collecting herself. "He's not himself. Something must have happened, Aaron." She said the last part with confidence. There was no way her husband had gone off the deep end this way for no reason. 

Aaron listened with a frown. Maybe sitting back and waiting for Adam to figure his shit out wasn't the way to go. His friend was spiraling out of control, more and more every day. "We should meet, come up with a plan. I don't think we can wait on him to figure things out for himself any longer." Aaron responded. Vic agreed immediately. 

Aaron ducked back inside his and Robert's room and dressed quickly, careful not to wake his sleeping fiancé. He pecked Robert lightly on the cheek before heading out, leaving a note saying where he'd gone on his bedside table. 

* * * *

Adam was parked outside the woolpack, his mind a jumble. He was angrier than he'd ever been, the view through his eyes tinted red. 

He watched Aaron walk out the front door, jump in his car, and drive away. He stiffened. He hadn't expected his chance to come so quickly, but here it was: Robert was alone and vulnerable. He got out of his car stiffly, his muscles tight with tension. Blood was pounding in his head.

He strode around the back of the pub, not wanting witnesses seeing him go through to where Robert was. He reached for the door handle, his hand shaking with adrenaline. 

This was it. This was the moment he had to fight to keep the people he loved. This was the moment he had to fight to survive. Robert was a threat to him, a threat he had to eliminate. 

He had to do this.

* * * *

Aaron sat down across from a very pale Vic. She looked afraid, for her husband, for her marriage. "Vic, hey." Aaron spoke softly, his own worry apparent from his expression. 

"I think we need to talk to him together... I've tried talking to him alone and that went really, really badly." She closed her eyes, watching the scene replay on the backs of her lids. It didn't make sense, not at all. Adam was never Robert's biggest fan, but this sudden, deep-seated hatred that he had for her brother... she didn't know where it came from. 

Aaron was nodding across from her, in agreement with teaming up to speak with Adam. “We have to find him first. Do you think he’s back up at the scrapyard?” 

Vic shrugged, her brow furrowed. “Maybe. He hasn’t been sleeping at home and… there aren’t that many places he could be staying overnight.”

Aaron stood up from his seat. “I don’t think we should waste any more time, Vic. Let’s go find him and get to the bottom of this.” She stood up too, nodding, a determined set to her features. 

* * * *

Robert woke up to the sound of the back door creaking open downstairs. He sighed looking over to complain to Aaron that someone needed to oil the damn thing and finding Aaron’s side of the bed empty. There was a note, though. He groaned as he reached to grab it and accidentally tweaked his bad shoulder. He recoiled, swearing and holding his arm still as the pain radiated in waves down from his shoulder socket to his fingertips. He kept forgetting and doing stupid things like that. If Aaron had been there he would have raised an eyebrow at him and shot him a look that said ‘Really? Again?’ He sighed as the pain finally faded to a dull ache and stood up to read the note. 

Adam. He and Vic were meeting to talk about Adam. Damn. They weren’t going to give him space like they’d agreed just yesterday. They were going to push. His brow furrowed and he looked out the window, worried. He didn’t know if this new Adam was capable of hurting Aaron or Vic, but they were most likely safe if they went together, right? He couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen, but there was nothing he could do to stop the two of them now. They were both stubborn that way, stubborn about helping the people they loved, no matter what. He ran a hand over his face. He needed caffeine.

He shuffled down the stairs, grimacing as his ribs ached. Being injured was so annoying; it made everything difficult. He finally reached the bottom of the steps and rounded the corner into the kitchen, looking around to see who had come in through the back door, but seeing no sign of anyone. Frowning, he went about making himself a cup of tea. Maybe Liv was skiving off school and had snuck up to her room? He’d check after he’d had his tea. He wasn’t awake enough to give a good scolding yet.

A floorboard wined from the hallway leading out to the bar. Robert turned around, expecting to see a guilty-looking Liv coming around the corner, instead he found himself face to face with an absolutely livid Adam. Before he could react, Adam had grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and shoved him roughly against the wall. He yelped in surprise and pain at the impact. “Adam?” He was gasping, trying vainly to loosen Adam’s vice grip on his shirt. “What the hell?” He asked, unnerved by how cold his brother-in-law’s eyes were. 

Adam laughed maniacally in his face. “What the hell? What the hell?” He leaned forward so his face was uncomfortably close to Robert’s. Robert recoiled back, his eyes a different kind of scared. Adam bared his teeth in the semblance of a sneer. “I asked you so nicely to keep quiet, Rob.” He said the nickname, mockingly. “I asked you so nicely to keep your fucking mouth shut.” His voice lowered to a menacing whisper. “But you just couldn’t do it could you? You just had to go to the police and torpedo my entire fucking life.” 

Robert shook his head vigorously in denial, his voice pleading. “I didn’t tell them anything about you being involved, Adam. I didn’t say a word, I swear.” He stared fearfully into Adam’s sneering, disbelieving face. “I swear.” He repeated, trying to inject every ounce of truth he could into his words. Adam’s grip loosened on his shirt and Robert breathed out a relieved breath. And then he felt Adam’s hands wrap around his throat. He shook his head in mute horror. “Don’t. Adam, please don’t!” He was begging now, his hands tugging uselessly at Adam’s constricting fingers. He stared into those unfeeling eyes. Was this really how it was going to end for him? Had he really survived so much shit just to die now? He felt tears well up in his eyes as Aaron’s face flashed into his mind. I’m so sorry, Aaron. 

Black dots swam in his vision. His struggling began to subside and he felt the tips of his fingers go cold. As his eyes began to close, Adam leaned in and whispered softly, “I warned you. I told you what I’d have to do if you told anyone. You left me no choice.” 

Robert’s eyelids continued to droop. 

And then a furious shout alarmed from behind Adam, followed by a hysterical shriek. Adam released his grip on Robert’s throat in surprise, just before being yanked backwards with incredible strength that sent him careening into the kitchen table with a crash. Robert slid down the wall, holding his throat and drawing painful, gasping mouthfuls of air into his starved lungs. Vic was crying hysterically, both of her hands cupped in horror over her mouth, as she watched the devastating scene play out. 

Aaron tackled Adam to the floor, his fists flying with alarming speed and ferocity, one hitting its mark after another. Bam. Bam. Bam. Adam went limp as he lost consciousness. Bam. Bam. Bam. Aaron’s knuckles grew red with both of their blood. He kept swinging. Bam Bam. Bam. 

“Aaron.” Robert’s voice came out a raspy croak.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

“Aaron, stop.”

Bam. Bam.

“Aaron, you’re going to kill him.”

Bam.

“Aaron, I’m alright. It’s over.” Robert croaked desperately. “You can stop.”

Aaron paused mid-swing, glaring with unconcealed hatred at the man who used to be his best friend. Then he shoved himself off of Adam and lurched over to where Robert sat slumped against the wall. He fell down on his knees by Robert, reaching out and gingerly tilting Robert’s head to the side so he could look at the bruising on his neck. His teeth clenched and his eyes flashed angrily. “We’re getting you checked out by a doctor.” His tone made it very clear that it would be futile to argue.

Robert leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. “Fine.” His eyes opened and flickered to Vic. She was still stood frozen by the entrance to the kitchen. 

Aaron followed his gaze shift, his eyebrows pulling together in concern as he took in Vic’s face. She was in shock. Robert made to stand, but Aaron put a firm hand on his chest and shook his head sternly. “No, you stay put.” He stood up and moved slowly towards Vic, his hands raised nonthreateningly. “Vic?” He said softly.

Her wide eyes flicked into his, searching for an explanation, not understanding how what had just happened could have happened. Aaron met her eyes solemnly, the anger, still washing over him in waves, twisting his features. Adam had hurt Robert. And, if he hadn’t walked in and stopped him, he would have killed him, killed the love of his life. He knew that much. He understood that much. What he didn’t understand was why. He and Vic had heard those last whispered words when they walked inside: ‘I warned you. I told you what I’d have to do if you told anyone. You left me no choice.’ Questions whirled around his brain, but those would have to wait.

He reached out and put a hand on Vic’s shoulder. “Vic, we need to call the police.” He spoke softly, as if he was talking to a child. 

Vic looked at him with tear-filled eyes for one long moment and then turned to look at her brother, who sat leaning against the wall, looking worriedly in her direction. She saw something strange in Robert’s expression, an uncertainty, an insecureness, like he wasn’t sure of her reaction, like he didn’t know if she would fall on his or Adam’s side at that moment. That confused her. Adam had tried to kill him. Of course she’d be on his side. Of course she couldn’t stand by Adam after this. Why didn’t her brother know that? Why wasn’t he sure of her? Her brows pulled together as she turned back to Aaron and nodded. “Of course.”

Aaron scrutinized her expression for a moment before glancing at Robert and seeing what had confused her so much. Robert was back in that damn place again. He still didn’t trust that they’d stick by him when things got difficult. He blinked back the tears that pricked at his eyes. What an idiot his fiancé was sometimes.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number saved in his phone for the main detective on Robert’s case. 

* * * *

The police showed up with an ambulance in tow. Aaron had told them enough over the phone about how things had played out for them to understand Adam would be less than fighting fit when they arrived. They pulled Robert, Aaron, and Vic aside to get the full story when they got there. Aaron and Vic watched Robert’s face as he began to recount the story, desperate to hear the explanation, the why of it all.

Robert cleared his throat, wincing slightly, and began to speak, finding it difficult to look Aaron and Vic in the eye. “I lied, at the hospital, when I said I didn’t remember…” He trailed off, rubbing a hand over his face. Aaron and Vic’s brows furrowed with confusion. “It was Adam. He’s the one that injected something into my IV bag. He’s the one that was helping Strauss.” There was a stunned silence, and then Vic and Aaron were staring, horrified, at Robert, who kept his eyes directed down at the tabletop. 

“No, he… he couldn’t have—“ Vic began to say, her eyes going unfocused as she examined her memories. They’d all left Robert’s room to follow Aaron. Adam hadn’t been there at the time. She remembered running, running, as fast as she could, down the hallway, back towards Robert’s room. She remembered seeing Adam there, seeing that look on his face, the one that said ‘I’m so sorry.’ Had she misunderstood? Was he sorry because he’d been involved? 

And then she remembered seeing him earlier that day, on the phone, agitated, upset. Who had he been talking to? What had all that been about? She clutched the table, her knuckles turning white, as it all clicked into place. It was Adam all along. It was Adam.

Aaron’s brain whirled through a similar collection of memories. He remembered walking into Robert’s room after talking with Chas and Cain and noticing his fiancé looked pale, shaky, scared. And there Adam sat, as if nothing was wrong, as if he was completely oblivious to the tension. 

Aaron reached out and grasped Robert’s hand, needing the physical connection to calm him down. He’d let a monster into Robert’s hospital room. How had he not seen this was happening? He stared blackly at the limp body of Adam being lifted onto a gurney by the EMTs. “How could he do this?” He asked with disgust. 

Robert patted his hand. “Strauss threatened Moira.” There was a heavy silence. “He was just trying to protect his mother. He didn’t deserve…” Robert sighed, “he didn’t deserve to go to jail for that.” He paused and then spoke more softly. “You two didn’t deserve to lose someone you loved, someone so important to you, just because of that.” 

Aaron closed his eyes, too upset to speak. There it was, the reason Robert had kept quiet. It wasn’t because of any threats Adam had made. It wasn’t because he was afraid for himself. He was protecting them, protecting them from the loss of a loved one, even if that meant putting himself at risk, even if that meant living with a threat hanging over his head. He looked at the man he loved with tears in his eyes. “Dammit, Robert. He came here to kill you. If we hadn’t walked in when we did…” He shook his head, monumentally disquieted by the thought, “if we’d been even a minute later, you’d be dead.” Robert peeked up unhappily at him, meeting his eyes for the first time since they’d sat down. Aaron kept going, looking deep into Robert’s eyes, trying to convey with his own how much he loved him, how much he needed him, how much he meant. “You’d be dead,” he choked on the words, “and we’d have lost you.”

Robert saw the hurt in Aaron’s eyes, the pain. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I thought…” he peeked at Vic, who had just reached out and grabbed his other hand, “I thought I was doing the right thing…” And then they were both hugging him tightly, completely ignoring the police officer sitting across the table from them.

“We love you so please, please stop putting yourself in danger.” Vic said tearfully. 

“Please.” Aaron added, hugging his fiancé even tighter.

Robert felt tears prick at his own eyes. He whispered, hugging them back with his good arm, “I’ll do my best.”

END of CHAPTER XXXII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm I think I'll have to have Aaron and Vic pay Adam a visit in prison so they can yell at him a bit. Vic didn't really get to take her anger out on him... How's she supposed to move on if she doesn't get to smack him at least once?
> 
> ;D Hope you guys liked it!


	33. CHAPTER XXXIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Aaron talk about Adam. Vic visits Adam and gets some closure. Aaron notices something.

CHAPTER XXXIII

“Aaron, you can stop fussing. It’s just a bruise.” Robert spoke quietly, watching Aaron’s face harden as he probed the dark patches on his neck with gentle fingers. “The EMTs said I was fine.”

Aaron shook his head in annoyance, his eyes darkening angrily. “You’re not fine. Don’t say that.” He avoided Robert’s searching gaze. The guilt was eating him alive. The more he thought back over everything that had happened, the more he felt like an idiot for not seeing all the signs that Adam was involved. How many times had he looked at his best friend in the past days and found him unrecognizable? How many times had he noticed Robert become uncomfortable when the subject of Adam came up? How had he not put the two things together. How had he not seen? How?

“Aaron, this isn’t on you.” Robert said in a small voice. “You’re right. I should have said something.” 

Aaron shook his head again, this time in vehement denial. He clutched Robert’s hand tightly and met his eyes unhappily. “You shouldn’t have had to say anything. I should have noticed. I should have put it all together, the way he was acting, the shit he was saying. I feel like I’ve been walking around with my eyes closed. It seems so obvious now.” His teeth clenched together as he spoke, his anger directed inwards.

Robert’s brows pulled together. “He’s your best friend. Of course you didn’t see. You trusted him. You had no reason to believe he’d do something like this.”

Aaron placed a hand over his eyes. “I still don’t fully understand. Why didn’t he tell Vic and I what was happening, right from the beginning when he got the call? We could have protected Moira. We could have—“

“Sometimes it’s hard to react the right way when you’re under that kind of pressure, Aaron. He wasn’t happy about it. He was backed into a corner and he couldn’t see another way out.” Robert chimed in.

“Robert, I could never do what he did. I could never sacrifice another person like that, betray the people I love like that. I just couldn’t. I don’t have it in me.” He paused, his eyes going unfocused as he tried to put himself in Adam’s headspace. “And I never would have thought Adam had that kind of… selfishness, that kind of… evil… in him. I don’t know how I could have missed it all this time.”

Robert went still beside him and then he spoke in a quiet voice. “I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have reacted the same way he did… if I was in his position and Strauss had threatened you. I think I would have done anything, betrayed anyone…”

Aaron’s eyes flashed to his face. Robert had his eyes downcast, his words a confession he was terrified for Aaron to hear, but one he felt he needed to come forward with. Aaron should know who he was, even the messed up, broken parts of who he was.

“You’re wrong.” Aaron whispered, a sureness in his voice that had Robert looking up at him wonderingly. “You would have thought it through and come up with a way to keep everyone safe.” He smiled at Robert’s skeptical expression. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Rob. You always think the worst about yourself.” He pulled Robert in for a hug. “Trust me. I know you.” He whispered. 

Robert shook in his arms, silent tears running down his face, and he hoped that Aaron was right. He hoped that he could, hoped that he would, live up to Aaron’s expectations, because Aaron deserved that. Aaron deserved to never be disappointed by someone he trusted this way again.

* * * *

Vic was the first to go see Adam. She’d been so strong, so resilient, throughout the entire ordeal. She’d lost a husband, a future, but she held her head high and kept it together. Aaron and Robert drove her, offering emotional support wherever they could. 

“We’ll be waiting right out here for you, Vic.” Robert said, squeezing her hand gently. She smiled at him, a sad smile, but a grateful one. He was there for her, supporting her through the loss, not holding her need to go see Adam and get answers against her, not trying to convince her not to go, just being there and helping her stay strong.

She got out of the car and strode towards the prison. Her brain whirred like an overheated computer, memories swirling around her head, the good and the bad ones mixing together in a messy, confusing cocktail. 

Adam and her. Her and Adam. 

When he was sweet. When he was angry. 

When he said he loved her for the first time. When he spoke those hateful words about her brother.

When he showed up to look after her when she got hurt during the robbery of the van. When she walked in on him choking the life out of her brother.

She couldn’t reconcile the strange, violently contrasting memories. How could he be both people? Maybe the pressure, the threats, the violence, had changed him. Or maybe he’d always been this man and he’d never been put in a position where he had to show it. Maybe she’d seen what she wanted to see, been blinded by the romance, been swept away.

By the time her mind returned to reality, she was in the visitation room and he was sitting there, gazing back at her, his hands outstretched in a pleading gesture, his eyes begging for her understanding. “Vic, I didn’t have a choice. I had to protect Moira.” 

She couldn’t look at him. She sat across the table, her eyes aimed anywhere but in his direction, listening to him make excuses, listening to him try to explain away his betrayal. She shook her head in disgust. 

He kept on, his voice cracking in desperation. “Vic, please babe, please understand. She’s my mother, Vic.”

Her teeth clenched together. 

“He was going to kill her if I didn’t do what he said.”

Her hands tightened into fists.

His voice quickened, the mania returning as his chaotic reasoning took hold of him once more. “He was going to rat me out to the police, Vic. He was going to ruin everything. I was just protecting our family, our future. I did it for us, Vic—“

She snapped. 

Her white knuckles made solid contact with Adam’s already bruised jaw. Crack. His head rocked back, offsetting his balance and sending his chair tipping backwards with a loud crash onto the floor. “You son of a bitch! I trusted you!” There were angry tears in her eyes as she looked down at her husband. “I trusted you to keep my brother safe and you went behind my back and you hurt him. You handed him over to that man.” Angry tears rolled down her cheeks. “You could have told Aaron and I, told the police, that Moira was being threatened. We could have figured out a way to protect both her and Robert. You didn’t have to betray anyone; you just had to trust us.” Her eyes went cold as she continued and her tears dried on her skin. “You could have come clean, but you chose to push us away, to threaten Robert, to go after him.” She shook her head back and forth. “I don’t understand. I will never understand.” She stood and turned to leave, whispering bitterly over her shoulder. “I hope you never get out of here. God knows I won’t be coming back to visit you.”

She strode out of the visitation room, leaving Adam dumbstruck and defeated on the floor. That was it. It was done. She wouldn’t return. She wouldn’t see him again. Not ever.

* * * *

Vic didn’t say much on the drive back. Robert and Aaron didn’t push her to talk. They followed her inside once they reached her house, not wanting to leave her alone in the home she’d shared with her husband only a short time before. She busied herself making tea in the kitchen and they let her, understanding she wanted to be alone for a moment with her thoughts. 

They sat in the living room, silent communications passing between them as they listened to Vic move about. They would be there for her. They would make sure she didn’t feel alone, not for a second.

Robert stood to go check on her after some time had passed and Aaron remained in the living room, his eyes moving carelessly around the room. There were so many pictures looking out cheerfully from their frames, telling lies about happily ever afters, about cheerful families and happy homes. Aaron’s gaze lighted on a photo of Adam and Vic just after they’d gotten married, the happy couple grinning at him like they were the happiest people in the world. 

His eyes slid from that photo to another, the one of the whole Sugden family. At first the picture seemed to be a happy one, but the longer he looked the more he thought Robert’s smile looked stiff, forced. Perhaps that was only because he now knew that Robert’s childhood had been a nightmare, just like his own. Andy and Vic looked honestly happy in that photo, clueless that their brother was suffering. And then there was Jack baring his teeth at the camera, one hand gripping Robert’s thin shoulder in a vice grip. 

Aaron’s brow furrowed as he moved closer, unnerved by his own interpretation of the picture. Robert had told him about Jack finding him with a boy, about how his father had leathered him, but he’d never suggested to Aaron that Jack had been physically abusive in general. But in this picture, it seemed like Jack’s hand was clasped just a bit too tight.

Aaron scanned around himself for any other family photos. He noticed one of Jack standing next to a tractor in a blue knit sweater.

And he was wearing a chequered cap.

END of CHAPTER XXXIII


	34. CHAPTER XXXIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron comes to a realization. Robert and Aaron have a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everybody who's taken the time to read and comment on this story! <3
> 
> It's been a long ride and this is the final chapter. I think I've tied up all the loose ends lol
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the somewhat soppy, lovey-dovey finale. I wanted to end on a hopeful note, with Robert and Aaron finally both being completely on the same page, with no more secrets between them.
> 
> Thank you guys so much for seeing this all the way through to the end <3 (:

CHAPTER XXXIV

He was frozen, frozen and staring. His mind was rejecting the conclusion, the only conclusion, that he could draw from what he was seeing. A family friend. Someone that he shouldn’t have been with. But it couldn’t be Jack, Jack the homophobe. Robert’s words echoed in Aaron’s head from that day in the woods. ‘I know what he thought.’ ‘He fired him, leathered me…’ Had Robert ever actually said the words. No. He’d let Aaron jump to the wrong conclusion, the conclusion that his father was a bigot, that he tried to beat the gay out of his son. But the truth… the truth was a thousand times worse. 

Aaron’s vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. No. The horrifying images, branded forever into his memory from that day he’d seen the pictures poking out of the envelope on the floor, flashed before his eyes. His father had done that? His father? He placed a shaking hand over his mouth, curling in on himself. 

His own past dredged itself up, personal experiences coloring his understanding of what Robert must have gone through. He felt sick. Actually sick. He pushed himself off the couch in the direction of the bathroom, barely making it in time. He emptied his stomach, gagging violently. 

“Aaron?” Robert called from the kitchen, his tone worried. “You alright?” His voice came from right outside the bathroom door this time.

Aaron leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and sucking in a steadying breath. “Fine. I’m fine.”

Robert didn’t buy it and pushed the door open. He crouched down next to Aaron. “Are you not feeling well?” He asked, his brows pulling together as he placed a hand on Aaron’s forehead to check his temperature. 

Aaron couldn’t look at him. “Just feeling a bit sick to my stomach.” His voice was weak and shaky. 

Victoria appeared at the door. “Rob, you should take him home.” Robert looked at her, nonverbally asking the question. ‘Are you going to be alright here alone?’ She smiled at him and nodded. “I’ll be fine here. You take Aaron home.”

He nodded gratefully at her and then slipped his good arm around Aaron to help him up. “Rob, careful.” Aaron whispered. “You’re still injured.” 

“Don’t worry.” Robert responded easily. “Come on, I’ve got you.” He helped him to the car, accepting an old mixing bowl from Vic and handing it to his husband, who still looked slightly green. “If you’re going to be sick again, aim for the bowl. We’ve barely had this car two minutes.” He spoke jokingly, but the underlying worry in his voice was still palpable. Aaron just nodded, his mind still in a state of shock over the appalling revelation.

Robert drove just a little bit too fast on the way home. His worry for his husband made his movements jerkier than usual so that each stop and each start were abrupt and jarring. 

“’M fine.” Aaron said weakly, his hand resting comfortingly on Robert’s knee. “Stop driving like a maniac.” 

The corner of Robert’s mouth pulled up slightly, but his expression remained stiff and tense. He knew something was wrong. He just didn’t know what. He made a conscious effort to drive a bit slower and to make it a less bumpy ride, though, and they pulled up gently next to the Woolpack just a bit later.

Robert helped Aaron inside, waving off Chas when she came out from behind the bar looking worried. “Just a stomach bug, Chas. I’ll get him to bed.” She nodded, reassured, and shot Aaron a sympathetic look that he ignored.

Robert supported Aaron all the way up the stairs, deflecting every protest Aaron made about him not needing to, and finally deposited him in their bed. “Do you still feel sick? Do you want anything to eat or drink?” Robert began rattling off questions.

Aaron reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m not ill, Rob.” He dropped his gaze from Robert’s confused expression. “I saw something… at Vic’s.” 

Robert’s brows knitted together. “You saw something at Vic’s that made you sick?” He asked, doubtfully. What could Aaron have seen at Vic’s house that would make him sick? Robert thought about where Aaron had been sitting, searching his brain for what could have upset his fiancé so much in the family room. Pictures of Adam, maybe? 

Aaron looked up at him, his eyes sad and still slightly horror-struck. He spoke in a choked whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me it was Jack?” 

And suddenly Robert felt like he was freefalling, the ground beneath his feet suddenly insubstantial. He wasn’t prepared for it. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open and he shook his head back and forth in silent denial, not a sound passing from his lips. 

How could Aaron know? How could he just suddenly know? No one knew. This was a secret he was meant to take to his grave. He swayed, suddenly lightheaded, and felt seismic tremors wracking his body. And then he was spinning. Everything was spinning. Spinning. Spinning. Spinning out of control. 

Aaron was standing now, saying… something… but he couldn’t understand. He felt his knees give out and watched as the floor rushed up to meet him, still conscious but utterly disconnected from his body. 

Strong arms caught him before he hit the ground, lowering him carefully the rest of the way. There were anxious hands on his face, comforting and familiar. Aaron was leaning over him, desperate to help, but unsure how. Robert’s eyes fluttered and he watched Aaron’s mouth move with agitated speech, but the room was tipping on its side and he felt as if he was being pressed into the floor by the centrifugal force. He closed his eyes, curling in on himself and praying for it to stop.

He had just enough presence of mind to realize what was happening. Another panic attack. These were starting to become regular occurrences. When did he become so fragile? 

The floor gave an especially violent lurch and he was yanked away from his train of thought, his mind suddenly becoming completely occupied with reciting the mantra, ‘Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up.’

After what felt like hours, but in actuality was only a couple minutes, the dizziness abated and Robert opened his eyes cautiously, checking that everything was right side up and staying that way, as it should. He peeked up to see Aaron looking anxiously down at him and sighed. 

He trusted Aaron, trusted him with his life, his secrets, his everything. But this… this was different. It had been a long, painful road to get to where they were now. Aaron had had to deal with his own past, with his abuser coming back into his life, with the truth about his abuse being learned by all his friends and family. He’d had to resist the urge to self harm, to escape, to internalize the hateful words said to him by his father. They’d both suffered through weeks of sleepless nights, full of nightmares and triggers. But they’d gotten through it all, together. They’d come out stronger.

And then Strauss had happened and everything was turned upside down once again. But they’d survived. They were both still here, still fighting for their happily ever after, for their messed up together forever. 

Why did this terrible secret have to come out now? Why did it have to have to send their lives careening into chaos yet again? How many storms were they going to be able to weather before they broke down and broke apart? How could he expect Aaron to handle this too, after everything he’d already had to deal with? It was too much. It was selfish to push past horrors on his fiancé again, wasn’t it? It wasn’t fair. 

Robert moved to sit up, slowly, carefully, his eyes averted. Aaron kept a steadying grip on his arm. He swallowed nervously and sucked in a calming breath. “Sorry.” He whispered in Aaron’s direction. 

“Why are you sorry?” Aaron asked, his voice hoarse with disquiet.

Robert looked around the room, still avoiding Aaron’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have… lost it like that.” Aaron frowned at him. “I didn’t expect… I mean, it didn’t occur to me that you might see… I should have been more careful.” He whispered the last part, a self-admonishment. 

The corners of Aaron’s mouth pulled down as he understood that Robert was apologizing to him, that his fiancé somehow felt as if the truth coming out was due to an oversight on his part, that it was his responsibility to keep it quiet. “Robert,” Aaron couldn’t help the slight edge of frustration from coloring his voice, “you’re allowed to rely on me. It doesn’t make you selfish or weak if you do. God knows how much I’ve relied on you.” Robert still didn’t look at him so he continued, his brows pulling together. “I don’t understand where this is coming from. You don’t have to protect me from the truth. I can handle it. And then I can help you deal with it. You have nothing to be sorry for.” His voice was beseeching.

Robert looked at him, finally, his eyes sad. “It’s too much. I’m such a fucking mess, Aaron.” Tears pricked at his eyes. “You didn’t sign up for this.” 

Aaron’s eyes filled with water. “Robert… I love you. I don’t care how much emotional baggage you come with. There is no deal breaker for me. I’m in this. I’m in this for life.” He reached out, placing a hand gently against Robert’s cheek, and wiped away a lone tear with his thumb. 

Robert stared back into his face, searching for any hesitation, any misgivings, any doubts, any sign at all that Aaron didn’t wholeheartedly believe every word he said. But all he could see was sincerity, sincerity and love. 

So he reached out and pulled Aaron towards him, burying his face in his fiancé’s shoulder. “It’s not a happy story.” He whispered, resigned to the fact that, happy or not, it was time to tell it.

“That’s okay.” Aaron hugged Robert closer to him. “You can tell me… 

No matter how deep you’ve buried it, no matter how dark it is.”

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they lived messed up forever after ;D 
> 
>  
> 
> <3 <3 <3


End file.
